The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday conducted raids in the Nagpur and Mumbai premises of Nationalist Congress Party leader and former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh, PTI reported.
The agency has not released a statement about the reason for these searches.
Deshmukh is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate in several cases related to corruption and money laundering.
In April, the CBI had searched Deshmukh’s home in Mumbai in connection with the corruption charges against him.
The politician has been booked under Section 7 (illegal gratification obtained by a public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and charged with criminal conspiracy under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code.
Deshmukh has been accused of coercing police officers to extort money on his behalf from the owners of bars and restaurants in Mumbai. Former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh had publicly accused the NCP leader in March.
Singh had alleged that dismissed police officer Sachin Vaze had been asked by Deshmukh to collect Rs 100 crore every month through illegal channels. He had also accused the former Maharashtra home minister of frequently interfering with police investigations in various cases.
Deshmukh has denied all the charges against him. But the NCP leader resigned as the home minister of Maharashtra on April 5.
Two days later, Vaze corroborated Singh’s allegations against Deshmukh. Vaze also alleged that the NCP leader and state Transport Minister Anil Parab demanded more than Rs 100 crore from him.
The law enforcement agency has claimed that more than Rs 4 crore collected from bar owners between December and February was routed to Deshmukh’s charitable trust in Nagpur through four shell companies in Delhi.
The NCP leader has ignored five summons sent to him by the Enforcement Directorate till August 18. He has instead moved the Bombay High Court to quash the police notices.
The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that Deshmukh has committed an offence under Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code by ignoring the summons. The agency has sought court intervention in the matter.
Under Section 174 of the IPC, a court can order action against a person for not obeying summons, notice, order, or proclamation from a public servant.
A local court in Mumbai has now asked Deshmukh to appear before it on November 16 in the alleged money laundering case.
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