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ED Raids 14 Locations In ₹85-Crore Fraud Case Involving Former Lodha Developers Director

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Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against former Lodha Developers Ltd director Rajendra Lodha and several others in connection with an alleged Rs 85 crore corporate fraud under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Officials said the agency carried out searches on Wednesday at 14 locations across Mumbai and Thane, including Worli, Ghatkopar, Borivali, Thane, and Dombivli, as part of its probe into alleged money laundering, unauthorised property sales, and financial irregularities. The searches covered premises linked to Lodha Developers Ltd, as well as residential and commercial properties of several associates and firms allegedly involved in facilitating fraudulent land and property transactions. Among the locations searched was the Dombivali residence and office of Vinod Patil, the brother of MNS leader and former MLA Raju Patil, who is also an accused in the case.

According to ED sources, the searches were aimed at tracing the alleged proceeds of crime and identifying entities linked to the suspicious transactions. During the operation, the ED seized several incriminating documents, financial records, and digital evidence, which are now being analysed to track the flow of funds and determine the ultimate beneficiaries.

The ED action reportedly stems from an FIR filed by Lodha Developers (now Macrotech Developers Ltd) in September, which alleged that Rajendra Lodha misused his position between 2013 and 2025 to defraud the company of around Rs 85 crore through unauthorised property sales, undervalued land deals, and illegal Transferable Development Rights (TDR) transactions, causing significant losses. Lodha was earlier arrested by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch in connection with the case.

Investigators said the New Cuffe Parade project in Wadala has emerged as a key link in the alleged fraud. According to the FIR, Flat A/3603 in Tower 11, booked by Nilesh Chandrabhan Agarwal for around Rs 3.10 crore, was used in a forged agreement. Lodha and his son Sahil Lodha allegedly claimed that the company needed to pay Rs 3.03 crore to Agarwal to vacate land in Nitals village in Panvel, which he did not legally own. The amount was reportedly diverted in cash by the Lodhas, causing a direct loss of Rs 3.03 crore to the company.

The ED case also details multiple financial irregularities. In the TDR scam, 34 transactions totalling 7.15 lakh sq.ft. granted by the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation were executed in cash at Rs 685 per sq.ft., significantly below market value, resulting in an estimated loss of around Rs 20 crore. Vinod Patil was one of the key conspirators in this case along with Lodha and his son. A 1.46-acre plot in Ambarnath’s Naharen village, was sold by Lodha for Rs 88 lakh without proper authority. The land, located on the proposed Virar–Alibaug multimodal corridor, was expected to earn compensation of about Rs 10 crore from the government. Ten months later, the buyer received Rs 10.88 crore, causing a loss of roughly Rs 10 crore to the company.

In another instance, a 4,150 sq.m. plot in Panvel’s Shirdon village, was allegedly sold by Rajendra and Sahil Lodha to their benami company, Usha Properties, for only Rs 48 lakh, resulting in a loss of around Rs 10 crore. Similarly, a 3,630 sq.m. plot in Panvel’s Bhopar village, was sold to a benami company, N.B.P. Agrotech Infratech LLP, at a price Rs 6.25 crore below market value.

In addition, a land repurchase scam involved company land registered in the name of a deceased employee’s wife, purchased through an associate for Rs 5 lakh and later sold back to Lodha Developers Ltd for Rs 2.65 crore, causing a further loss.

The search was underway till the time this report was published.

Crime

Tiger Shroff firing case: 3 suspects held in Rajasthan’s Kota planned to flee to Nepal, say police

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The Kota City Police in Rajasthan have made a major breakthrough in the firing incident involving Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff in Mumbai by apprehending three suspects, including a minor, at Kota railway station. According to Kota Superintendent of Police (SP) Tejaswani Gautam, preliminary questioning has revealed that the suspects planned to travel to Delhi before fleeing to Nepal.

Acting on intelligence that the suspects were travelling to Kota aboard the Pune-Jaipur Express, a police team surrounded and searched the train. The operation was completed in approximately 15 minutes, following which all three suspects were taken into custody.

The arrested suspects have been identified as Rehan alias Sukka, a resident of Sonipat in Haryana; Hrithik Kurmi alias Roshan, a resident of Begusarai in Bihar; and a minor.

According to the SP, Hrithik had been living in Mumbai for the past few years.

SP Gautam said preliminary questioning indicated that Rehan alias Sukka was in contact with Anil Pandit, who is reportedly linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Police are investigating whether this connection had any role in the firing incident.

The weapon allegedly used in the shooting has not yet been recovered. Investigators will question the suspects further to establish where the weapon was taken after the incident and identify others who may have been involved.

A team from the Mumbai Police has reached Kota, and the process of handing over the suspects to the Mumbai Police is underway.

The incident took place on Sunday at around 7 p.m., when Tiger Shroff was returning by car from a football ground in Mumbai’s Juhu area.

According to the police, the assailants fired at the vehicle with a pistol, injuring the driver. Another person present at the scene was also hit by a bullet.

A Mumbai Police official said Tiger Shroff managed to lean forward when the shots were fired, helping him avoid a direct hit. However, he sustained an injury from a fragment of shattered glass. The investigation is continuing to establish the motive behind the attack, trace the weapon used in the shooting and determine the possible involvement of other individuals.

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Crime

Pickup truck loaded with explosives blows up in Rajasthan Bhilwara, driver killed

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A powerful explosion in a pickup truck loaded with explosives in Aguncha village of Rajasthan Bhilwara district killed the driver on the spot on Monday.

The blast, which occurred around 11:30 a.m. within the jurisdiction of Gulabpura police station, completely destroyed the vehicle and reduced a nearby enclosure wall to rubble.

The explosion was so intense that the pickup truck’s parts were blown apart, with debris scattered over a wide area. The driver’s body was found beneath the rubble of the collapsed wall.

According to police, the deceased has been identified as 35-year-old Ram Avtar, a resident of Bundi.

The explosion was heard from a considerable distance, triggering panic among residents, many of whom rushed out of their homes to assess the situation.

The impact shattered glass in the doors and windows of nearby houses, while cracks reportedly appeared in some walls.

The enclosure where the pickup was parked was extensively damaged, with its wall collapsing completely. The vehicle’s engine was reportedly thrown around 10 feet away by the force of the blast.

Villagers gathered at the site soon after the explosion and attempted to extinguish the fire. The discovery of the driver’s body beneath the debris added to the gravity of the incident.

Gulabpura Station House Officer Sanjay Gurjar said the explosion occurred inside an enclosure belonging to Ramdev, son of Hiralal Khatik, a local resident. A pickup truck loaded with explosives was parked inside the premises when it suddenly exploded.

After receiving information, police personnel from the Aguncha police outpost and Gulabpura police station reached the spot and secured the area.

A forensic team has been called to examine the site, identify the explosive materials and determine the exact cause of the explosion.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident.

Further details are awaited as investigators examine the circumstances surrounding the blast and why these were in the truck.

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Crime

One killed, several injured in clashes between two communities in Manipur

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One person was killed and several others injured in clashes between members of two communities in Manipur Thoubal district, prompting the authorities to impose prohibitory orders in two affected areas, police said on Monday.

A police official in Imphal said that the violence erupted at Khangabok village, under Thoubal police station and around 25 km south of the state capital Imphal, on Sunday night when a group of people allegedly pelted stones at a ground where a music concert was being held, police said.

The incident escalated into stone-pelting between members of the two communities in Khangabok and neighbouring Sangaiyumpham. A few houses and vehicles were also set on fire during the clashes.

Amid the violence, unidentified miscreants opened fire, hitting a person in the head. The injured man, identified as Laishram Rakesh, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries, police said.

Several other people sustained minor cut injuries after being hit by stones and were admitted to a hospital for treatment.

Additional state and central security forces were deployed in the affected villages to prevent further escalation.

The situation was under control on Monday morning, police said.

Following the violence, the Thoubal district magistrate issued prohibitory orders on Sunday night, directing residents of Khangabok and Sangaiyumpham not to leave their homes from 11 p.m.

The order, issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), cited the likelihood of a breach of peace, disturbance of public tranquillity and an imminent threat to human life and property due to the alleged unlawful activities of anti-social elements.

The order did not specify when the restrictions would be lifted.

Meanwhile, more than 25 houses were set ablaze in separate incidents in Manipur’s Kamjong district during the past 24 hours, with suspected militants targeting both Naga and Kuki inhabitant areas, forcing civilians to flee their homes and take shelter in forests and a nearby security camp.

Around 14 abandoned houses belonging to the Naga community were set on fire by unidentified miscreants at Pilong and Skipe villages along the India-Myanmar border on Sunday.

Additional security forces were deployed after these incidents, a police official said. The houses had been abandoned after earlier attacks on the Naga-inhabited villages.

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