Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh arrested in extortion case
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 2
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh under criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) late Monday night.
The arrest was made after over 12-hour questioning in a case linked to an alleged extortion racket in the Mumbai police establishment, officials in the agency said.
Deshmukh was evasive during questioning, hence the need for custodial interrogation, they said. The NCP leader was produced in a special court in Mumbai that remanded him in ED’s custody till November 6.
Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, who appeared for the ED, had sought Deshmukh’s 14-day custody stating that the custodial interrogation was needed to carry out further investigation into the case and to check money trail.
The NCP leader arrived at the ED office in the Ballard Estate area of south Mumbai around 11.40 am, accompanied by his lawyer and associates.
He appeared before the agency after the Bombay High Court last week refused to quash the summons against him. He had skipped at least five such ED summons.
The ED registered the PMLA case against Deshmukh and others after the CBI booked him in a corruption case related to Rs 100-crore bribery allegations levelled by Mumbai ex-top cop Param Bir Singh.
