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ED Dossier: Former VVMC Chief Anil Pawar’s Family, Front Companies And Cash Trails Allegedly Laundered Bribes Into Real Estate

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Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) money-laundering investigation into alleged illegal construction and bribery at the Vasai–Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) has unearthed a complex web of corporate fronts, cash dealings, and layered financial trails allegedly linked to former Vasai-Virar Municipal Commissioner Anil Pawar, his family, and long-time associates. According to the ED’s prosecution complaint (PC), the proceeds of crime (POC) generated through alleged systematic bribe collections for municipal approvals were laundered through a dense network of family-owned firms, benami partnerships, and investment vehicles, ultimately transformed into high-value real estate and warehousing assets.

The agency’s PC, backed by statements recorded under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act (PMLA), reveals that Pawar’s immediate family including his wife Bharti Pawar, daughters Shrutika and Revti as well as close associates Janardan Pawar, Amol Patil, and Jayesh Patil functioned as the façade of a three-tier laundering system of placement, layering, and integration. This process allegedly involved the direct conversion of illicit cash into share capital, property investments, and corporate inflows camouflaged as legitimate transactions.

The investigation details a complex financial architecture, wherein illicit cash was converted into share capital, property stakes, and corporate inflows camouflaged as legitimate transactions. The ED’s forensic analysis indicates that at least eight corporate entities are allegedly linked to Bharti Pawar through direct investments or partnership stakes. Her declared investments across these firms range between Rs 2.5 crore and Rs 3 crore, excluding substantial unaccounted cash components. The ED has flagged several high-value transactions, including a Rs 2.81 crore worth of land purchased in Alibaug and nearly Rs 3.9 crore in cash investments for warehousing assets. Her immovable holdings include the Shrutika Heights project in Nashik, which reportedly generated Rs 4–5 crore in revenue, land at Ambivali sold for Rs 70 lakh, two Pune flats, agricultural lands in Deola and Sinnar, and a Rs 3.5 crore flat purchased in her mother’s name.

Taking into account both declared and undisclosed assets, investigators estimate the total value of properties linked directly or indirectly to Bharti Pawar and her family at Rs 40–50 crore. Officials allegedly suspect that this intricate pattern of wealth accumulation is tied to illicit proceeds of municipal bribery and other irregular financial dealings during Pawar’s tenure as commissioner.

At the centre of the network lies BSR Realty Pvt Ltd, the Pawar family’s principal real estate firm, registered in the names of Bharti Pawar and her mother, Kumudini Pagar. The company executed projects such as Saidham Apartments and Shrutika Heights, though operational control reportedly rested with Anil Pawar’s associate Janardan Arun Pawar. In her statement, Bharti admitted to providing signed cheque books and OTP access to Janardan while exercising “nominal oversight,” a pattern the ED describes as “proxy directorship and beneficial concealment.”

The ED’s complaint alleges that the Shrutika Heights project alone generated around Rs 4–5 crore in revenue, a substantial portion of which was absent from BSR Realty’s official books. Investigators believe this unaccounted income stemmed from so-called “municipal facilitation fees,” a euphemism for bribe proceeds collected for building permissions. Contracts for projects in Nashik and Satana were routed through J.A. Pawar Builders & Developers, owned by Janardan Pawar, which maintained parallel cash accounts. A search at Janardan’s residence recovered Rs 1.32 crore in unaccounted cash, allegedly indicating partial cash settlements on Pawar’s behalf.

The ED also identified Shrutika Enterprises, ostensibly a stone-crushing and material supply firm with Bharti pawar holding a 25% stake (Rs 52.50 lakh) as a placement channel for funneling cash receipts from Janardan’s accounts into real estate and other investments.

The agency also identified Triquetra Constrotech LLP as another crucial entity, with shareholding distributed among Bharti (40%), Shrutika (25%), Revti (25%), Janardan (9%), and Milind Pagar (1%). ED investigations revealed that the firm, despite having no actual business operations or project execution, maintained active bank accounts, indicating it allegedly acted as a “pass-through entity” to formalise family wealth.

Similarly, Vithai (Vithal) Weaves Pvt. Ltd., a Jalgaon-based textile firm, also came under scrutiny. Shrutika Pawar, the director, claimed her Rs 55 lakh investment came from grandparents’ gifts and jewellery sales, but the ED found no supporting documentation. Despite limited operational involvement, Shrutika received Rs 33 lakh as remuneration, while the firm reported an inflated annual turnover of Rs 40 crore, a discrepancy investigators flagged as “inconsistent with business fundamentals.”

The ED’s investigation has identified Antonov Warehousing Parks Pvt. Ltd. and Dhwaja Warehouses Pvt. Ltd. as key channels for parking unaccounted capital. Subscription records seized by the agency revealed square-foot allocations and payments made in the names of Bharti, Shrutika, and Revti, reflecting a deliberate layering of family wealth through real estate. Payments connected to the Pawar family, totaling Rs 5.2 crore, were traced to these projects, with nearly 75% reportedly routed in cash. The transactions were allegedly coordinated by Anil Pawar through his associate Amol Patil, a practice the ED termed “a textbook case of placement and layering.”

Further scrutiny of the Pawar family’s network revealed systematic use of multiple corporate fronts. Janardan Agri Services Ltd., where Bharti held 90%, was flagged as a “fictitious trading front,” as her declared annual income of Rs 25–30 lakh bore no correlation with actual business activity, inventory, or turnover. A similar scheme emerged in SAPP Ventures and New Front Realty, where Bharti made an investment of Rs 43.21 lakh via cheque. Both companies displayed negligible commercial activity but maintained active financial transactions, underscoring their use as investment placeholders.

Further scrutiny revealed a network of corporate fronts such as Anmol Buildcon, Aadit Asset Holdings Pvt. Ltd., and Aaria Realty, linked to family associates Amol Patil and Jayesh Patil. These entities maintained minimal business activity but facilitated fund routing for family-controlled projects. Notably, consultancy payments to Aadit Asset Holdings were allegedly diverted into warehousing and land acquisitions benefitting the Pawars.

In a recorded statement, Amol Patil admitted receiving Rs 1.37 crore in cash at his Dadar office via Y.S. Reddy, under Anil Pawar’s instructions, to facilitate the Rs 2.81 crore Alibaug land purchase, a transaction in which a significant portion was routed entirely in cash.

Statements from Tushar Pawar, Niranjan Nikam, and Ravindra Nikam corroborated cash movements within the network. Tushar confirmed that he gifted a flat to Shrutika on Anil Pawar’s instructions in Thane, while Niranjan and Ravindra admitted facilitating RTGS transactions and cash deliveries up to Rs 34 lakh. ED recovered handwritten ledgers, blank signed cheques, and digital OTP records linking Bharti’s credentials to Janardan’s execution of transactions, pointing to clear proxy control.

The ED has provisionally attached assets totaling around Rs 71 crore, with approximately Rs 44 crore directly linked to Anil Pawar. The agency has framed the alleged laundering as consequential to predicate offences of extortion and bribery in the municipal approval process. The investigation continues to trace additional undisclosed assets, bank routing, and cross-jurisdictional payment pathways.

Crime

Delhi Police arrest three in illicit liquor supply case

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New Delhi, Aug 22: In a major crackdown on the illegal transportation and supply of liquor, the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) team of the North-East District of Delhi Police arrested three persons and recovered 778 quarters of Haryana-marked illicit liquor along with two taxis allegedly used to transport the consignment.

The action was carried out on August 21, 2026, after Head Constable Deepak, along with Head Constable Anuj and Constable Mukesh, was conducting area patrolling duty near Maujpur Chowk.

At around 6:30 a.m., the police team received information from a secret informer that two taxis carrying illicit liquor from Haryana would arrive near Seelampur Metro Station. The taxis’ numbers were also shared by the informer.

Acting on the information, the police team reached the location. At around 7:30 a.m., both taxis arrived and were intercepted. Three persons were apprehended, while another individual reportedly managed to flee from the spot.

A search of the vehicles led to the recovery of 399 quarters of illicit liquor from taxi HR55AX3345 and 379 quarters from taxi DL1ZD5015, taking the total recovery to 778 quarters.

The arrested accused have been identified as Vinit Chauhan (35), owner of taxi bearing number — HR55AX3345; Akash Sharma (25), driver of taxi bearing number — DL1ZD5015; and Vishal (23), who was allegedly accompanying the other accused.

During interrogation, the accused reportedly disclosed information about the source of the illicit liquor. Police are verifying the information and conducting further investigation to identify other individuals allegedly involved in the supply chain.

A case has been registered as FIR No. 288/26 under Section 33 of the Delhi Excise Act at Seelampur Police Station. Police said none of the three arrested accused has any previous criminal involvement on record. Further investigation is underway, according to police.

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Crime

‘Give her to us’: Adobe techie Vinay Gupta’s mother, sister allege pre-planned murder by in-laws in Delhi

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New Delhi, Aug 22: The mother and sister of 31-year-old software engineer Vinay Gupta, who was allegedly beaten to death by his in-laws in outer Delhi Nihal Vihar area, on Saturday alleged that the killing was pre-planned and demanded strict punishment for those responsible.

Speaking to reporters, Gupta’s mother alleged that her daughter-in-law had orchestrated the murder and deliberately called her relatives to their home.

“Give her to us, and we will punish her with our own hands. She orchestrated his murder and left,” she said.

According to her, the incident occurred early in the morning when her daughter-in-law allegedly called her brothers to the house. “We were preparing to serve them water, thinking that relatives had come to visit. But they did not want water. They grabbed him by his hands, choked his throat, jumped on his chest and killed him right before my eyes within five minutes,” she alleged.

She further claimed that when she tried to save her son, she too was assaulted. “When I rushed to save him, they beat me. When his father tried to rescue him, they assaulted him as well. Everything went dark before my eyes. There was no one else in the house. She had the CCTV cameras switched off,” the grieving mother stated.

Calling the incident pre-planned, she said there had been no major dispute before the attack. She claimed that six people were involved, of whom four had reportedly been detained while two are absconding.

Gupta’s sister, who was at her in-laws’ home at the time of the incident, also alleged that the killing had been planned in advance.

“My parents and my brother were alone at home. In the morning, she had an argument over something and stormed out of the house. Within just 10 minutes, she returned with six men from her family. She led them upstairs,” she said.

“My mother was preparing to serve them water, thinking that guests had arrived. But they refused the water, grabbed my brother by his hair, choked his throat and killed him. Before leaving the house, she had intentionally switched off the CCTV cameras,” she alleged.

She questioned how the relatives could have reached the house within 10 minutes when their residence was allegedly around 30 minutes away.

“It was completely pre-planned. Everything was orchestrated in advance,” she said, adding that her elderly parents were unable to save her brother.

The sister also alleged that Gupta’s wife frequently fought over minor issues and threatened the family. “There were six people who killed my brother,” she alleged.

The deceased was a resident of Laxmi Park and worked as a software engineer with Adobe in Noida. He had married his 31-year-old wife, a homemaker, around three-and-a-half years ago. The couple have twin children — a son and a daughter — who are about four-and-a-half months old.

According to the victim’s family, an argument broke out between Gupta and his wife in the morning over a matrimonial issue. Following the dispute, the woman allegedly contacted members of her parental family, who later arrived at the couple’s residence in Nihal Vihar.

The family alleged that Gupta was subsequently attacked and severely beaten by his wife’s relatives. Gupta was later rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. However, doctors declared him dead on arrival.

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Crime

Andhra MP’s son tests negative for alcohol after fatal Aston Martin crash

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New Delhi, Aug 22: Preliminary tests for alcohol and drugs have returned negative for 21-year-old Lingamaneni Sanjush, the son of Andhra Pradesh Rajya Sabha MP, Lingamaneni Ramesh, following a fatal Aston Martin accident in Hyderabad.

The accident took place near Inorbit Mall on August 16, when Sanjush was allegedly driving the luxury car. The vehicle struck 26-year-old Bharati Mukhi, a sales executive, leaving her critically injured. She was rushed to Apollo Hospital for treatment but was declared dead on arrival, according to police.

Investigators said Sanjush was allegedly driving at a high speed in a rash and negligent manner at the time of the collision. The Aston Martin has been seized and examined by a Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI), while the authorities are awaiting the inspection report.

Police said that despite the negative preliminary screening for alcohol and narcotic substances, Sanjush’s blood samples have been forwarded to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for detailed analysis. The final forensic findings, along with the MVI inspection report and the victim’s post-mortem report, are expected to play an important role in the ongoing investigation.

A case has been registered under Section 106(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for causing death through a rash or negligent act. The provision carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison.

Police said Sanjush was not arrested immediately because the evidence available at that stage did not justify custodial action. Instead, he was issued a notice under Section 35 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and directed to cooperate with investigators.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police dismissed allegations that Sanjush received preferential treatment because of political connections or outside pressure. The officer maintained that the action taken by police was in line with legal provisions and Supreme Court guidelines governing arrests.

Police added that Sanjush could be arrested later if additional evidence or the findings of the investigation warrant such action. Investigators are continuing to collect forensic, technical and other evidence to establish the precise circumstances surrounding the crash.

The Aston Martin involved in the accident was reportedly not registered in Sanjush’s name. Meanwhile, Sanjush has maintained that he did not leave the scene after the collision. He claimed that he helped take Bharati to the hospital and subsequently cooperated with the police probe.

Following the post-mortem examination, Bharati’s body was handed over to her brother and later taken to Odisha. Her post-mortem report is still awaited.

Bharati was reportedly the sole earning member of her family. Her death has led to calls for financial assistance for her family as the investigation into the fatal accident continues.

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