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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting searches at six locations in Maharashtra, in connection with the Maharashtra Co-operative Bank scam, ANI reported.
Further, the raided locations include premises of Baramati Agro, a company owned by MLA Rohit Pawar, the grand nephew of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, PTI reported.
The premises of Baramati Agro and linked entities are being searched on December 5 as part of a money laundering probe in the alleged Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank scam, official sources told PTI.
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The six locations include Amravati, Aurangabad, Baramati, and Pune, the sources added.
The money laundering case stems from an August 2019 FIR of the Mumbai Police Economic Offences (EOW) wing.
The police complaint came after the Bombay High Court issued an order on August 22 that year to investigate the allegations of selling sugar factories in the Maharashtra cooperative sector through alleged fraudulent means and also that they were sold at throwaway prices.
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The Case
Earlier in April 2023, the ED submitted a chargesheet against the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) and has excluded NCP leader and Maharashtra’s former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and his wife Sunetra Pawar’s names from the charge sheet.
Moreover, the ED had attached properties including land, buildings, and machinery of Jarandeshwar Cooperative Sugar Mill worth ₹65 crore in July 2021 in this case. The matter is listed for hearing on April 19.
The ED announced in July 2021 that it had seized assets worth more than ₹65 crore, including land, buildings, and machinery from Jarandeshwar Sahkari Sugar Mill in Maharashtra’s Satara district.
The seizure was made under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002, as part of an investigation into the MSCB scam.
The assets, which were registered under Guru Commodity Services Pvt Ltd and leased to Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills Pvt Ltd, were seized by the ED as part of the investigation.
During its investigation, the ED discovered that Sparkling Soil Pvt Ltd, a company associated with Ajit Pawar, the former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, and his wife Sunetra Pawar, held a significant majority of shares in Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills.
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Published: 05 Jan 2024, 01:36 PM IST
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