Latest news with #Morea
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
ED raids on locations linked to Dino Morea and others in Maharashtra and Kerala
Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at locations connected to Bollywood actor Dino Morea , BMC assistant engineer Prashant Ramugade and others as part of the investigation into money laundering in the alleged Mithi river cleaning scam. The ED operations spanned 15 locations in Maharashtra and one in Kochi, Kerala, and continued until late on Friday. The raided persons included contractors, desilting machine suppliers and middlemen. One of the machine suppliers being searched was in Kochi. UBO Ridez, an electric cart company, lists Morea's brother Santino as a director alongside the wife of another accused, Ketan Kadam, who was arrested by the EOW in the Mithi cleaning scam. Kadam reportedly invested Rs 18 lakh in the company. Morea, known for his closeness to Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray, is not directly involved in the Mithi desilting contract. He had formed a business partnership with one of the contractors for a company operating electric carriages, which replaced traditional Victoria horse-carts used by the tourism sector in south Mumbai. The discontinued Victoria horse carriages had returned in an electric avatar and in March 2021, the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated these electric carts. The ED gathered documents, digital evidence and mobile phones for examination during the searches. The investigation stems from an FIR filed by the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of the police, which had arrested Kadam and businessman Jay Joshi, owner of Virgo Specialities. Joshi was granted bail in the case on Thursday. The Mithi desilting work has faced allegations of corruption and contractor cartelisation for decades. The EOW FIR mentions mainly two allegations, stating contractors deceived the BMC using forged documents regarding silt disposal from Mithi between 2013 and 2021. It also notes the controversial award of desilting work to a company after modifying conditions to ensure only contractors with specific machinery could secure the contract. Even a contractor arranged visits of the BMC engineers to examine the machine, which he had claimed to have procured from abroad. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Eid wishes , messages , and quotes !
NDTV
15 hours ago
- NDTV
Probe Agency ED Raids Actor Dino Morea's Mumbai Home In Mithi River Controversy
Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting raids at actor Dino Morea's Mumbai house in a money laundering case linked to the Mithi River desilting scam. The probe agency has been at the actor's home for over six hours. Mr Morea is also reportedly present at the house as the raid continues. The raids are being carried out at more than 15 locations in Mumbai and Kochi, covering premises of Mr Morea, his brother, Santino, contractors and others, as reported by the news agency PTI. The investigation is being conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The raid comes days after the actor and his brother appeared before the Mumbai Police for questioning in a corruption case. The questioning, led by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), lasted eight hours. According to sources in the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing, the actor and his brother were in touch with Ketan Kadam, a prime accused in the case, who was arrested earlier in May. Mithi River Controversy Mithi River, a 17.8-kilometre-long river, originates from the overflow of the Vihar and Powai lakes and drains into the Mahim Creek and ultimately the Arabian Sea. The river has been at the centre of attention ever since the Mumbai floods of July 2005, which resulted in over 1,000 deaths, because of its heavy pollution and silt accumulation. The pollution reduces Mithi's capacity to carry stormwater during monsoons. Since then, multiple efforts have been undertaken to desilt the river, especially ahead of the monsoon. However, last month, the EOW alleged irregularities worth Rs 65 crore in the desilting of the Mithi River. A case was registered against 13 people, including Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials, a Kerala firm and Ketan Kadam and Jai Joshi -- who rent out silt pusher machines. During the investigation, when the Mumbai Police looked through the call records of Ketan Kadam, a prime accused, they found frequent communication between Mr Morea and Mr Kadam.
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Business Standard
15 hours ago
- Business Standard
ED raids Dino Morea and others in Mithi river desilting scam case
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted searches at the premises of actor Dino Morea and some others in Maharashtra apart from some locations in Kerala as part of a money laundering investigation linked to the Mithi river desilting "scam", official sources said. The fraud is alleged to have caused a Rs 65 crore loss to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The raids are covering more than 15 premises located in Mumbai and Kochi. This includes the premises of Morea, his brother, contractors and some others, the sources said. The investigation is being conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. The ED case against certain officials of the BMC and some others stems from a Mumbai Police economic offences wing (EOW) FIR filed to probe alleged irregularities in desilting of the Mithi river that is alleged to have caused a Rs 65 crore loss to the civic body. Morea was questioned by the EOW in this case few days back. The EOW registered a case against 13 persons, including civic officials and contractors, for their alleged involvement in the scam. The river flows through the city and drains into the Arabian is alleged that tenders for renting specialised dredging equipment were manipulated to favour certain suppliers.
The Hindu
16 hours ago
- The Hindu
Mithi river case: ED raids premises of actor Dino Morea, others
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday (June 6) conducted searches at the premises of actor Dino Morea and some others in Maharashtra apart from some locations in Kerala as part of a money laundering investigation linked to the Mithi river desilting "scam", official sources said. The fraud is alleged to have caused a Rs 65 crore loss to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The raids are covering more than 15 premises located in Mumbai and Kochi. This includes the premises of Morea, his brother, contractors and some others, the sources said. The investigation is being conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. The ED case against certain officials of the BMC and some others stems from a Mumbai Police economic offences wing (EOW) FIR filed to probe alleged irregularities in desilting of the Mithi river that is alleged to have caused a Rs 65 crore loss to the civic body. Morea was questioned by the EOW in this case few days back. The EOW registered a case against 13 persons, including civic officials and contractors, for their alleged involvement in the scam. The river flows through the city and drains into the Arabian Sea. It is alleged that tenders for renting specialised dredging equipment were manipulated to favour certain suppliers.
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Time of India
Mithi River Desilting Scam: ED arrives at Dino Morea's residence; evidence seized during raids to be used to identify beneficiaries Rs 65 crore fraud
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted raids at the residential premises of actor Dino Morea in Mumbai. The agency also conducted sweeps at multiple locations in Maharashtra and Kerala, as part of a money laundering probe linked to the alleged Rs 65 crore Mithi river desilting scam. Official sources confirmed to PTI that the searches spanned more than 15 premises, covering the homes and offices of Morea, his brother, several contractors, and others suspected to be connected to the case. The investigation is being carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), based on a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Mumbai Police 's Economic Offences Wing (EOW). According to reports, the scam centres on alleged irregularities in the desilting of the Mithi River. These came under intense scrutiny following the 2005 floods. Despite repeated efforts by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to prevent such disasters through desilting contracts, audits by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and inquiries by the Anti-Corruption Bureau flagged significant discrepancies between the reported word done and the actual work carried out at the site. Investigators state that those involved in the scam, inflated bills, falsified work logs, and systematic diversion of public funds. Tenders for specialised equipment were allegedly manipulated to benefit select suppliers. Authorities suspect that a nexus of BMC officials, private contractors, and middlemen colluded to siphon off crores through fake project reports and bogus claims. Actor Dino Morea had recently been questioned by the EOW in connection with the case. He is not among the 13 individuals named in the FIR, which includes civic officials and private contractors, but the ED is reportedly examining financial links and transactions with his name. Sources told PTI that documents and digital evidence seized during Friday's raids are likely to be key in tracing the fund flow and identifying beneficiaries of the alleged scam. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
