- The Enforcement Directorate arrested four individuals linked to illegal construction in VVCMC
- Illegal buildings were demolished following a Supreme Court order, leaving many homebuyers homeless
- ED seized cash, jewellery, and electronic evidence during searches, revealing bribe-related WhatsApp chats
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested four individuals, including senior civic officials and builders, in connection with an illegal construction case linked to the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVCMC).
The arrested accused are Mr Anil Powar, IAS, former Municipal Commissioner of VVCMC; Mr Sitaram Gupta, builder and corporator from the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi; Mr Arun Gupta, builder; and Mr YS Reddy, suspended Deputy Town Planner of VVCMC. All were taken into custody on August 13 under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
ED officials told the ANI that the investigation revealed that certain builders had constructed illegal buildings and sold them to unsuspecting buyers. Following a Supreme Court order, these illegal structures were demolished, leaving many homebuyers homeless.
During the probe, ED conducted search operations at multiple locations, seizing large amounts of cash, jewellery, and incriminating electronic evidence. Officials cited WhatsApp chats between the suspended Deputy Town Planner and the former Municipal Commissioner, allegedly indicating the existence of an organised cartel to collect bribes on a per-square-foot basis in exchange for project approvals.
The accused will be produced before a special PMLA court in Mumbai, where the agency will seek their custody for further investigation.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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