India
oi-Prakash KL
Mumbai,
July
31:
The
Enforcement
Directorate
(ED)
on
Sunday
detained
Shiv
Sena
leader
Sanjay
Raut
in
land
scam
case
in
Mumbai
after
hours
of
conducting
raids
at
his
residence.
The
ED
reached
his
residence
in
Mumbai
at
7
am
today.
The
action
follows
two
summonses
issued
by
the
ED
against
Raut,
the
latest
being
on
July
27.
Raut
was
summoned
for
questioning
by
the
ED
in
a
money
laundering
case
linked
to
the
alleged
irregularities
in
the
re-development
of
a
Mumbai
‘chawl’ and
related
transactions
involving
his
wife
and
‘associates’.
He
had
appeared
before
the
agency
in
Mumbai
to
record
his
statement
on
July
1
in
connection
with
the
case.
After
that,
the
ED
had
summoned
him
twice,
but
he
had
skipped
the
summonses
citing
his
engagement
with
the
ongoing
Parliament
session.
At
7
am
on
Sunday,
ED
officials,
accompanied
by
Central
Reserve
Police
Force
(CRPF)
personnel,
reached
Raut’s
‘Maitri’
bungalow
located
in
suburban
Bhandup,
and
began
the
search.
The
Rajya
Sabha
member,
who
is
in
the
Uddhav
Thackeray
camp
of
the
Shiv
Sena,
had
denied
any
wrongdoing
and
alleged
that
he
was
being
targeted
due
to
political
vendetta.
“I
swear
by
late
Balasabheb
Thackeray
that
I
have
nothing
to
do
with
any
scam,”
Raut
tweeted
shortly
after
the
ED
action
began.
“I
will
die
but
won’t
leave
Shiv
Sena,”
Raut
added.
During
the
ED
search,
a
large
number
of
Shiv
Sena
supporters
gathered
outside
Raut’s
residence
and
staged
protests
against
the
agency’s
action.
Holding
safron
flags
and
banners
in
their
hands,
the
Sena
MP’s
supporters
also
raised
slogans
against
the
ED.
Raut
waved
at
his
supporters
from
the
window
of
his
house.
At
the
ED
office
located
in
Ballard
Estate
area
of
south
Mumbai,
a
large
number
of
police
have
been
deployed,
an
official
said.
Roads
leading
to
the
agency
office
have
been
kept
shut
for
vehicles
and
barricades
have
been
placed,
he
said.