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

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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

Siya Goyal’s family asked to halt business after FDA raid

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Pune, July 16: In mounting trouble for the family of Siya Goyal, who is accused of allegedly murdering her fiancée Ketan Agarwal, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sealed a Pune shop owned by her father Praveen Goyal, following an inspection.

The family-owned business deals in spices and dry fruits.

Speaking to reporters, Praveen Goyal said, “On Tuesday, July 14, at around 11:30 a.m., officials from the Food and Drug Administration visited my shop. They collected four samples — two samples of ‘haldi’ (turmeric) powder, one of soya chunks, and one of a product called ‘Gavran Til’ (sesame). These are all products that are widely sold in the market, and I have complete purchase bills for them.”

“They have taken the samples and will carry out whatever action is required. The only issue they pointed out was that…I had previously operated from a rented shop, and we have a valid licence for the period 2025 to 2030. However, about six to seven months ago, when I shifted to my own shop, the shop number (Gala No. 348) was inadvertently not updated in the licence,” he mentioned.

Praveen Goyal added: “We have already applied for the correction, and it should be completed within the next 8–10 days. Until then, they have asked me to keep the shop closed, and I am complying with those instructions. Apart from this, there is no other issue.”

Ketan Agarwal was allegedly murdered by his fiancée Siya Goyal and her purported lover Chetan Chaudhary at Lohagad fort near Pune last month.

On Monday, Ketan’s mother Rakhi Agarwal wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking speedy justice for her son.

In an email sent to the Prime Minister, Rakhi Agarwal expressed the immense grief her family has endured since Ketan’s murder and underlined that she is not asking for any special favour.

“With folded hands, I humbly request you to kindly ensure that my son’s case receives the attention it deserves and that justice is delivered without unnecessary delay. Please do not let Ketan become just another case file. He was someone’s son, someone’s grandson, someone’s brother, but to me, he was my entire world,” she appealed.

Earlier, the victim’s father, Vishal Agarwal, had written to President Droupadi Murmu seeking a fast-tracked investigation.

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Crime

19-year-old gangraped in moving car in UP’s Lalitpur

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Lalitpur (Uttar Pradesh), July 16: In a shocking incident of betrayal and sexual assault reported from Uttar Pradesh’s Lalitpur district, a 19-year-old woman was abducted by a man who she was allegedly in a relationship for the last four years and gangraped by him and his friends in a moving car, police said on Thursday.

Speaking on the case, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kalu Singh said: “The victim had been in a relationship with the accused, Badal Raja, for the past four years and preliminary investigation suggests she had accompanied him voluntarily.”

According to officials, the victim’s mother lodged a complaint with the police, alleging that her daughter was forcibly taken away in a car by a local resident, Badal Raja, along with two of his associates.

The complainant stated that the distraught victim managed to call her sister during the horrific incident and sought help from her family.

Following the call, her family launched a desperate search for her and found her in a distressed condition near the railway station and took her to the police station.

Based on the complaint, the police registered an FIR and formed a special team to investigate the case.

During the course of investigation, police arrested two of the accused. A third unidentified accused was later apprehended during a police encounter, in which he sustained a bullet injury to his leg. He is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital.

Investigators said to have recovered a .315 bore country-made pistol, one empty cartridge, one live cartridge, a mobile phone, a bottle of liquor, and a car from the accused during the encounter.

The police said the accused will be produced before the court based on the available evidence.

Further investigation in the case is underway.

In yet another crime against girls and women in UP, a seven-year-old girl was found dead in the basement of an under-construction mall in Ghaziabad’s Raj Nagar Extension.

She had been befriended by one of the accused, who often played with her and her brothers and gave them chocolates, chips and toffees to gain their trust.

The child’s body was recovered during the early hours of Saturday from the basement of the building. A post-mortem examination confirmed that she was raped before her death and died due to a head injury. Police have registered an FIR based on a complaint filed by the family.

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Crime

CBI arrests Bank of Baroda branch manager, credit officer in bribery case

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Lucknow, July 15: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested the Branch Manager and Credit Officer of Bank of Baroda’s Koireepur branch in Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur district for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe from a loan beneficiary, an official statement said on Wednesday.

The arrested officials have been identified as Swarnim Srivastava, Branch Manager, and Pushpak Chaudhary, Credit Officer, both posted at the Bank of Baroda’s Koireepur branch.

According to the CBI, a case was registered on July 13 based on a complaint alleging that the accused officials had sought an undue advantage for the release of funds under a government-backed loan scheme.

The complainant had been sanctioned a Rs 5 lakh loan under the Chief Minister Yuva Udyami Yojana at the Koireepur branch. While the term loan component had already been disbursed, the overdraft facility sanctioned as part of the loan package was yet to be released.

The agency alleged that the Branch Manager and Credit Officer demanded a bribe of Rs 45,000 from the complainant in exchange for facilitating the disbursement of the overdraft component of the sanctioned loan.

Following verification of the complaint, the CBI laid a trap on July 14. During the operation, the agency caught the Credit Officer allegedly accepting Rs 35,000 from the complainant. The CBI claimed the money was accepted in conspiracy with and at the behest of the Branch Manager.

Subsequently, both officials were taken into custody and arrested by the agency.

The accused were produced before the competent court in Lucknow. Further investigation into the case is underway, the CBI said.

Earlier in the first week of this month, the CBI had arrested the Project Director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Shillong, and two private persons for demanding a bribe of Rs 12 lakh from the complainant to process his outstanding bill to the tune of Rs 13.38 crore.

The accused public servant had instructed the complainant to give part of the bribe amount to the tune of Rs 4 lakh, in advance.

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