NEW DELHI: In a massive action, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut after several hours of questioning on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday in connection with the Patra Chawl money laundering case.
Raut, who was brought to the Mumbai ED office after several hours of questioning following searches at his premises on Sunday, was put under arrest around 12.41 am.
The Shiv Sena leader’s premises were searched by the ED sleuths since7 am on Sunday and then he was brought to its office around 4 pm. However, in a dramatic turn of events, he was put under arrest late at night.
Before leaving for the ED office Raut hugged his mother and also waved at the party supporters.
Speaking to the media, while entering the ED office, the Shiv Sena leader said that he won’t bow down and quit the party.
“They (ED) are going to arrest me. I am going to be arrested,” Raut told reporters outside the ED office after he was brought there from his Bhandup residence in Mumbai. “Zukega nahi (won’t bow down),” Raut said, putting up a brave front.
During searches at his premises, the ED also recovered ₹11.5 lakh cash, agency sources said.
Earlier, Raut skipped two ED summons in connection with the case and the agency was miffed as he didn’t join the probe several times and was not cooperating in the case
The ED had previously attached property worth ₹9 crores belonging to Sanjay Raut’s ‘aide’ Pravin Raut and assets worth around ₹2 crores belonging to Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha in the ₹1,034-crore Patra Chawl land scam case.
The financial probe agency had filed a charge sheet in a money laundering case against Pravin Raut.