Mithi River desilting: ED summons actor Dino Morea, BMC officials
Mumbai, At least eight people, including actor Dino Morea, his brother, and some BMC officials have been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate for questioning next week in a money laundering case linked to an alleged ₹65 crore worth Mithi River desilting "scam", official sources said on Saturday.
The notices came after the federal probe agency on Friday searched more than 15 premises linked to these people in Mumbai in Maharashtra and Kochi in Kerala.
"Around eight to nine people, including actor Dino Morea, his brother Santino and some Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials, have been asked to appear before the agency at the ED office in Mumbai on different dates next week," a source said.
Their statements will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act once they depose, he said.
Dino Morea's house in the Bandra area, apart from premises linked to his brother, and those of BMC officials and contractors, were searched by the ED on Friday.
The ED case stems from a Mumbai Police economic offences wing FIR filed in May against 13 people, including contractors and civic officials, for an alleged ₹65.54 crore scam in the tenders awarded from 2017-2023 for desilting of the Mithi River which flows through Mumbai and acts as a stormwater drainage channel for the metro city.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led undivided Shiv Sena controlled the cash-rich BMC from 1997 till the party's split in 2022. After the expiry of the general body in 2022, the civic body was controlled by the state government, which was then headed by Eknath Shinde.
It was alleged by the police in its complaint that BMC officials tailored the tender for the desilting contract in such a way that it benefited a particular supplier of machinery, and the contractors reportedly generated fraudulent bills for transporting the sludge out of Mumbai.
Morea and his brother were questioned by the Mumbai Police EOW in this case last month. The 49-year-old actor has been questioned twice by police.
The Morea brothers, it is understood, were questioned by the police about their alleged links with alleged middleman Ketan Kadam, arrested in the case along with another accused, Jai Joshi, apart from some financial transactions made in a company linked to Santino.
Kadam and Joshi, according to police, were involved in the renting out of 'silt pusher' machines and multi-purpose amphibious pontoon machines to contractors who were carrying out Mithi river desilting work.
This is the second time that the actor has been in the crosshairs of the ED, as, in 2021, the agency had attached his assets as part of a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged bank fraud case against Gujarat-based pharmaceutical company Sterling Biotech and its promoters.
The plan to desilt the river was planned by the Mumbai civic authorities following the 2005 floods, which brought the city to a grinding halt.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
41 minutes ago
- News18
150 Pakistani Contacts, Links To ISI: Details From 'Spy' Jasbir Singh's Probe
Last Updated: Jasbir Singh is the second content creator held in recent weeks in the investigation in which Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra was arrested earlier. Punjab Youtuber Jasbir Singh, who was arrested by the Punjab Police's State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Mohali, for his alleged involvement in a Pakistan-backed espionage network, has been remanded to two more days of police custody by Mohali court. Singh was produced before the local court in Mohali on Saturday after his three-day police remand ended. The state police sought a seven-day remand but the court granted them two more days of custody, Singh's counsel said. He is the second content creator held in recent weeks in the investigation in which Haryana-based YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra was arrested earlier. Jasbir Singh alias Jaan Mahal (41), a resident of Village Mahlan in Rupnagar, has been operating a YouTube channel "JaanMahal Video" with over 11 lakh subscribers, ostensibly posting travel and cooking vlogs. Police Found 150 Pak Contacts From His Phone According to the police, the YouTuber had visited Pakistan six times and had around 150 contact numbers from the neighbouring country in his phone. After his arrest, Singh told the police during remand that he had given his laptop to a Pakistan intelligence officer for around an hour. Singh was in touch with Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) operative Danish alias Ehsan-ur-Rehman, who worked as a visa officer in the Pakistani embassy in Delhi. Singh also told the police that Danish had ordered some SIM cards from him. Investigations have revealed that Singh had attended the Pakistan National Day event in Delhi on Danish's invitation, where he met Pakistani Army officials and vloggers. The accused has also travelled to Pakistan on three occasions, including in 2020, 2021 and 2024, and came into direct contact with ISI officers, who subsequently cultivated and recruited him to carry out espionage activities within India. Earlier, Singh was found to be associated with Pakistan Intelligence Officer Shakir alias Jutt Randhawa. He also disclosed during police interrogation that former Pakistan cop Nasir Dhillon had introduced him to ISI officials in Lahore. Attempted Cover-Up By Jasbir Singh Following the arrest of Jyoti Malhotra, Jasbir Singh is believed to have attempted to erase traces of his links with ISI handlers. However, forensic examination of his digital devices uncovered communication with several Pakistani phone numbers. Punjab Police have arrested at least seven individuals in the case so far, including Falaksher Masih and Suraj Masih from Amritsar, Guzala and Yameen Mohamad from Malerkotla, and Sukhpreet Singh and Karanbir Singh from Gurdaspur. Espionage Network Busted In India The development comes as a series of revelations regarding Pakistani spy networks in India. Several Indians were arrested for allegedly spying for Pakistan including a CRPF personnel Moti Ram Jat from Rajasthan, a contractual health worker Sahdevsinh Gohil posted in the border district of Kutch, a YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra from Haryana who has several lakhs of subscribers. She was arrested in Haryana this month. She had travelled to Pakistan a number of times. Additionally, a Rajasthan government employee was detained in Jaisalmer on suspicion of espionage for Pakistan with sources saying he worked as an assistant to former Congress minister Shale Mohammad. Prior to this month's conflict, Pakistanis and Indians were able to travel to each other's countries, but it has long been very difficult to obtain visas due to government bureaucracy and historical mistrust. The relations between India and Pakistan hit rock bottom after the neighbouring country resorted to a terror attack in Kashmir's iconic Pahalgam, killing 26 innocent tourists on April 22. In response, India, on the intervening night of May 7 and 8, launched 'Operation Sindoor' against Pakistan and destroyed multiple terror targets there. (With inputs from agencies) First Published: June 07, 2025, 20:33 IST News india 150 Pakistani Contacts, Links To ISI: Details From 'Spy' Jasbir Singh's Probe
NDTV
43 minutes ago
- NDTV
Gangster Goldy Brar, 4 Others Charged In Gurugram Bomb Attack Case
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted five accused, including Canada-based Khalistani terrorist Goldy Brar, in the 2024 case relating to bomb attacks at two clubs in Gurugram, officials said on Saturday. The NIA has booked Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar, along with Sachin Taliyan, Ankit, Bhawish and US-based Randeep Singh alias Randeep Malik, under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Arms Act, Explosives Substance Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in its charge sheet filed before a court in Panchkula on Friday, they said. Barring Brar and Malik, all others have been arrested in the case, they said. The NIA had found the accused to be involved in a conspiracy to target the Warehouse Club and the Human Club in Sector 29 in Gurugram, Haryana, with bombs. It was part of banner terrorist outfit Babbar Khalsa International's (BKI) larger conspiracy to spread communal disharmony and disrupt peace in Haryana and neighbouring regions by unleashing violence, according to an official statement. The attack, perpetrated by members and cadres of the proscribed BKI, took place on December 10, 2024, it said. The NIA investigations later revealed that the "deep-rooted" terror conspiracy was hatched by Goldy Brar and his associates, said the statement issued by the probe agency. According to the NIA investigations, the terror syndicate is actively involved in extorting money, raising terror funds, procuring explosives and arms and ammunition, and promoting terror amongst the common people to threaten the integrity, security (including economic security) and sovereignty of the country.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
As search continues for missing Indore woman in Meghalaya, MP govt seeks CBI probe
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to initiate a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the murder of an Indore-based newly-wed man Raja Raghuvanshi in Meghalaya, saying that 'every possible effort' was made to trace his missing wife Sonam. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav wrote in his X account: 'In this hour of crisis, Madhya Pradesh stands with Mrs. Sonam Raghuvanshi and her family. I have discussed this matter with the Chief Minister of Meghalaya. Senior police officers from Madhya Pradesh are in constant contact with Meghalaya officials. I have requested the Honorable Union Home Minister, Shri @AmitShah ji, to order a CBI investigation in this case. Every possible effort is being made for the safe return of Mrs. Sonam Raghuvanshi.' The mystery of what happened to the newlywed couple Raja Raghuvanshi and Sonam Raghuvanshi from Madhya Pradesh's Indore who had travelled to Meghalaya for their honeymoon on May 20 — nine days after their wedding — continues to confound investigators. The couple had checked out of the Shillong hotel on May 23 and travelled to an area near Cherrapunji. They last talked to their family that afternoon. Raja's body was found with wounds inflicted by a Dao (machete) while Sonam has yet to be found. A Special Investigation Team was formed to look into the incident, although police have yet to make any arrests. The search operation for Sonam has also run into difficulties posed by tough terrain, dense forests and unrelenting rains, which have resulted in the rescue teams managing to work for a few hours before calling it a day. A new CCTV footage released Saturday shows Raja and Sonam arriving at a homestay in Shillong on a scooter to drop off their luggage before riding off again. The video, which is four minutes long, shows Raja and Sonam arriving at the homestay with a white suitcase and wearing black jackets. The video shows the couple interacting with each other before Raja goes inside to talk to the staff at the registration desk. Sonam is seen taking off her jacket and fixing her hair. Moments later, Raja comes out, takes a few things out of the suitcase, and hands them over to Sonam. The white shirt Sonam is seen wearing in the CCTV footage was later found near Raja's body. Meanwhile, as Sonam's brother Gaurav waits anxiously for news of his sister, he says he's 'relieved' at the MP government decision to seek a CBI probe. Gaurav has been in Shillong for the last few days as the police continue to look for his sister. 'I have been with the police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for days now and there is no headway in the case. Even the new CCTV footage we had traced and leaked to the media. The police are not able to crack the case,' Gaurav told The Indian Express. East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem did not respond to calls or messages.
