- By Shubham Bajpai
- Fri, 16 May 2025 08:47 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
In a major success, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized Rs 9.04 crore in cash and Rs 23.25 crore worth of diamond-studded jewellery from the premises of Y S Reddy, Deputy Director (Town Planning), VVMC.
The searches were made at 13 locations in Mumbai and Hyderabad, in a case of illegal residential building construction on government and private lands in Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) since 2009, officials said on Thursday.
In a statement, ED said, "Over a period of time, 41 illegal buildings were constructed on the land reserved for 'Sewage Treatment Plant' and 'Dumping Ground' as per the approved development plan of Vasai Virar City."
During the investigation, the federal probe agency found large-scale illegal construction in the area since 2009 with the close connivance of various VVMC officials, it said.
The raids also yielded documents providing incriminating material exposing a large-scale scam of illegal construction in the Vasai Virar area.
"The accused builders and developers have deceived the general public at large by constructing illegal buildings on such land and subsequently, selling those to them by fabricating approval documents," the PROBE agency stated.
It said the developers committed fraud by misleading people into buying rooms in the unauthorised buildings, even though they had prior knowledge that the structures were slated to be demolished.
The ED started probing the case based on multiple FIRs lodged by the Mira Bhayandar Police Commissionerate against builders, local henchmen and others, it said.
"ED, Mumbai Zonal Office has conducted search operations at 13 different locations across Mumbai and Hyderabad under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 on May 14 and May 15. The search operation led to seizure of Rs 9.04 crore (approx.) cash and Rs 23.25 crore worth of diamond-studded jewellery and bullion and large number of incriminating documents," the statement said.
(With PTI Inputs)