Crime
ED Maintains Pawar Arrest Lawful And Necessary In Money Laundering Probe, Cites Evidence Tampering, Multi-Crore Bribery and Shielding Of Accused Builders

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has come out strongly against criticism of its move to arrest former Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) Commissioner Anil Kumar Khanderao Pawar, insisting the action is not only lawful and legal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) but also absolutely necessary to ensure the integrity of the probe.
The agency alleged that Pawar played a central role in a bribery and laundering racket running into hundreds of crores and this is backed by builder testimonies, WhatsApp chats, and cash trail analysis.
According to ED’s findings, Pawar’s name prominently surfaced during the investigation into 41 illegal buildings constructed over nearly 60 acres of government and private land.Statements from builders allege that senior civic officials, including Pawar, allegedly accepted substantial bribes to “turn a blind eye” to rampant encroachments and unauthorized developments.
The ED has pointed out that Pawar, during his tenure as head of VVCMC’s demolition department,failed to act against illegal constructions despite multiple complaints and even a civil writ petition (CWP) pending before court. Demolitions of 41 unauthorised buildings were carried out only after the direct intervention of the Bombay High Court. According to the agency, this exposes Pawar’s role in shielding builders in exchange for bribes, and “it is incorrect to suggest that he did not receive money from the proceeds of crime.”
Further scrutiny of WhatsApp chats and financial records revealed that Pawar allegedly received over Rs 17.75 crore from senior VVCMC officer Y.S. Reddy through cash deliveries routed via angadias. At least Rs 3.37 crore was reportedly handed over at a Dadar office to one of Pawar’s relatives. Linking the payments to the sanctioning of multiple construction projects, the ED has estimated the total bribe amount to run into several crores.
The agency says, was a clear attempt to tamper with evidence.On July 29, 2025, ED officers conducted a search at Pawar’s residence.The ED has accused Anil Pawar of actively obstructing investigators during a search operation at his residence on July 29, 2025. The search team, arriving at 6:15 a.m., repeatedly rang the bell for over two hours, but the door was never opened. Both Pawar and his wife allegedly ignored calls, disconnected lines, and even switched off their phones while the ED was outside.
It was only at 8:35 a.m., with the assistance of local police and a locksmith, that the ED team finally managed to gain entry. By then, investigators found that Pawar had deleted WhatsApp chats and call logs from his mobile phone while officers were waiting outside. Officials say this proves that Pawar was not only aware of the raid but used the delay to tamper with evidence crucial to the money laundering probe.
“The deletion of call records and WhatsApp data shows deliberate intent to destroy incriminating material. His custodial arrest became inevitable to prevent further obstruction of justice,” an ED official said.
According to ED sources, Pawar’s arrest was “not just legal but unavoidable.” As VVCMC Commissioner until July this year, he wielded enormous administrative authority, influence, and access to confidential files far beyond public reach. Officials said this power created a “grave and reasonable apprehension” that Pawar could misuse his position to influence or intimidate witnesses, including builders, architects, liaison agents, and VVCMC officials, or tamper with vital evidence. Allowing him to remain outside custody could have derailed the probe, enabling him to shield co-accused and beneficiaries while frustrating efforts to trace the full scale of the corruption network.
According to ED sources the scale of corruption, running into hundreds of crores in bribes and with possible chances of cross-border fund flows, demands custodial interrogation. Such proceeds of crime may have cross-border implications, potentially leading to the use of laundered money not only in India but also abroad.
According to ED sources Testimonies from builders, architects, and liaison agents suggest that Pawar allegedly collected commissions ranging from Rs 20–25 per sq. ft. of the built-up area as bribe for every project approval,with rates going up to Rs 50 per sq. ft. depending on project complexity and the builder’s financial muscle.This systematic extortion, corroborated by multiple builders, architects, civic officers and liaison agents, ensured that no residential, commercial or mixed-use project in Vasai-Virar could move forward without Pawar’s cut.
In a statement recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA on August 7, 2025, senior VVCMC officer and accused Y.S. Reddy detailed the bribe distribution system allegedly orchestrated by Pawar. According to him, “Municipal Commissioner Anil Pawar would take Rs 20–25 per sq. ft. The Deputy Director of Town Planning (DDTP) received Rs 10 per sq. ft., while Rs4 per sq. ft. went to the Assistant Director of Town Planning (ADTP) / Town Planner, and Rs1 per sq. ft. to the Junior Engineer. For plots above 2,000 sq. m, the file was handled by the ADTP; proposals below 2,000 sq. m were dealt with by the Town Planner.”
The statement establishes that Pawar was not acting in isolation but ran a well-oiled extortion network inside the civic body, ensuring kickbacks trickled down from commissioner to junior engineers.Sources from ED said that this structured bribe chain, corroborated by builders, architects, and liaison agents, confirms the systematic laundering of “commission money” into proceeds of crime, making custodial interrogation under PMLA unavoidable.
Crime
Mumbai Fraud: 49-Year-Old Businessman Duped Of ₹3.10 Crore In Flat Deal At Lower Parel; Builder Booked For Cheating

Mumbai: A Mumbai-based businessman has accused a city builder of duping him of over Rs 3.10 crore in an allegedly fraudulent flat sale at the Ison Heights project in Lower Parel, after waiting nearly a decade for possession. Following the complaint, the N. M. Joshi Marg Police have registered a case of cheating against Ishwarlal Lakhada of Hatadiya Builders Pvt. Ltd.
According to the FIR, the complainant, Champat Suthar, 49, who runs a glass business and resides in Chinchpokli (East), was looking to buy a new flat in 2014. Through a mutual business contact, he was introduced to real estate agent Champalal Jain, who showed him an under-construction project called Ison Heights, being developed by Hatadiya Builders Pvt. Ltd. on N. M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel.
Jain assured Suthar that 14 floors of the building had already been completed and possession would be given within the next 18 months. Impressed with the property during a site visit, Suthar agreed to proceed with the purchase and was introduced to builder Ishwarlal Lakhada, a resident of Aditya Building, Sikka Nagar, V. P. Road, Mumbai.
A deal was finalized for Flat No. 702 on the 7th floor at a total cost of Rs 2.46 crore — Rs 2.36 crore for the flat and Rs 10 lakh for a parking slot. Between April 16, 2014 and August 18, 2016, Suthar claims to have paid Rs 1.12 crore via cheques and another Rs 1.30 crore in cash, totaling Rs 2.42 crore.
However, according to the complaint, Lakhada started avoiding the flat agreement process after receiving the payments.
In 2017 and 2018, the construction of the project came to a standstill. Work resumed in January 2019, prompting Suthar to once again follow up with the builder, who then allegedly demanded additional payments. Suthar transferred an additional Rs 67.82 lakh via cheques to Hatadiya Builders account.
By April 8, 2024, the total amount paid by Suthar had reached Rs 3.10 crore. Lakhada had reportedly promised to hand over the flat by September 2024, but failed to do so. After multiple follow-ups yielded no response, Suthar sent a legal notice on March 8, 2025, demanding possession within 15 days. With no reply from the builder, Suthar approached the N. M. Joshi Marg Police.
Based on the complaint, police have booked Ishwarlal Lakhada under Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code. Further investigation is underway.
Crime
Delhi HC seeks updated report from Rajasthan Police on alleged illegal arrest of two ‘minors’

New Delhi, Oct 1: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Rajasthan Police to file an updated status report along with an inquiry report into the alleged illegal apprehension and detention of two “minor” boys, who were apprehended in Delhi and later taken to Rajasthan in connection with a theft and trespass case.
A bench of Justices Jyoti Singh and Anish Dayal was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by street hawker Kapoori Bai, who alleged that her son, 15 and a relative’s son, 17, were forcibly taken away by unidentified men in civilian clothes from Janakpuri’s Dussehra Park on September 26.
According to a status report filed by the Rajasthan Police, the duo were arrested on September 29 and produced before a magistrate in Ajmer on September 30.
The report also highlighted that both accused had undergone medical examination at Ajmer’s Government JLN Hospital, and the medical report confirmed that they are over 19 years of age.
The Justice Singh-led Bench was further informed that an inquiry had been initiated against police officials for procedural lapses during the investigation.
In its order, the Delhi High Court recorded the petitioner’s objections that the “minors” had been kept in illegal custody for nearly four days, and that neither the Delhi Police nor their families were informed at the time of the inter-state arrest.
The petitioner’s counsel contended that the medical examination was conducted in a “shoddy manner” by merely relying on X-rays instead of following proper procedure and medical jurisprudence. He also stressed that the status report was silent on violations of Article 22(2) of the Constitution and the Delhi High Court guidelines on inter-state arrests.
After hearing the submissions, the Delhi High Court said: “Having given our thoughtful consideration to the respective submissions of the parties and on perusal of the status reports filed by the Delhi Police as also the Rajasthan Police, we are of the view that issues raised by the petitioner, more particularly, with respect to inter-state arrest, illegal apprehension and detention need consideration.”
It directed the Delhi Police to preserve CCTV footage of the area in the national capital from where the two “minors” were allegedly picked up.
“Insp. Ashu Girotra, SHO, PS Hari Nagar, is directed to place on record the CCTV footage in a pen drive along with still photographs from the relevant part of the footage, in a sealed cover, before this court. The CCTV footage shall be preserved till further orders of the court,” the order stated.
At the same time, the Justice Singh-led Bench clarified that the pendency of the writ petition would not bar the accused from seeking legal remedies in Rajasthan.
“It is open to the petitioner/accused persons to take recourse to appropriate remedies available in law, before the competent jurisdictional Court, if so advised, and the pendency of this case will not come in their way,” the order said.
The matter has been listed before the Roster Bench on October 8.
On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court had taken note of submissions by Delhi government’s standing counsel (criminal) Sanjay Lao that the Delhi police had not been informed before the arrests were made by the Rajasthan Police.
Given the sensitivity of the matter, especially since the family members are related to Deva Pardhi, who died in alleged custodial violence in July, the Justice Singh-led Bench ordered that a comprehensive report be filed under the signature of the Superintendent of Police, Ajmer.
“We are of the view that a detailed status report needs to be filed by Standing Counsel, State of Rajasthan… considering that S and the Petitioner are relatives of Deva Pardhi, it is directed that the status report will be filed under the signatures of Ms Vandita Rana, SP, Ajmer, Rajasthan,” it had ordered.
Crime
Maharashtra Crime: Palghar Police Recover Stolen Motor Pumps And Cables Worth ₹27 Lakh From Warehouse In 2 Days; 3 Arrested

Palghar, Maharashtra: Palghar Police have recovered stolen motor pumps and cables valued at ₹27 lakh from a company’s warehouse in Savroli, Talasari, within two days of the crime.
According to officials, the theft occurred between September 25 and 26 at the warehouse of a plastics firm located in Shreenath Industrial Estate. The accused, identified as Jotin Omkar Singh of Vapi, Gujarat, was employed as a watchman at the premises.
Police said Singh allegedly broke open the shutter of the warehouse and decamped with the goods, which included motor pumps and electrical cables of varying sizes.
A case was registered at Talasari police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Acting on technical analysis and a confidential tip-off, police tracked the stolen property to two men from Andheri East, Mumbai — Parvezalam Jafar Ali Khan and Akram Ali Anwar Ali. Both were arrested on September 29, and the entire stolen consignment, along with a vehicle, was seized from their possession.
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