Dino Morea and Others Summoned in Mithi River Scam Investigation

Enforcement Directorate Takes Action in Mithi River Case

In Mumbai, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned actor Dino Morea, his brother Santino Rocco Morea, and several officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for questioning next week. This inquiry is part of a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged ₹65 crore scam involving the desilting of the Mithi River.

The ED announced that it has frozen assets and cash totaling approximately ₹1.25 crore following searches conducted at 18 locations across Mumbai, Kochi, and Thrissur.

Sources indicate that the Morea brothers, along with BMC officials and contractors, are required to appear before the agency in Mumbai on various dates next week. Their testimonies will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The agency's raids targeted properties associated with BMC engineer Prashant Ramgude, contractor Bhupendra Purohit, and others, including the residences of the Morea brothers in Bandra.

The ED has identified the Morea brothers as close associates of Ketan Kadam, an alleged middleman who has been arrested in connection with the case.

This money laundering investigation originated from a FIR filed by the Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in May against 13 individuals, including contractors and civic officials, for a scam involving tenders awarded for Mithi River desilting from 2017 to 2023.

The BMC, previously controlled by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena until its split in 2022, is accused of manipulating tender processes to favor specific machinery suppliers, leading to fraudulent billing for sludge removal.

Evidence suggests that Ramgude, Purohit, Joshi, Kadam, and others colluded to create a cartel aimed at monopolizing desilting contracts, resulting in inflated payments and financial losses to the public.

The ED claims that these illicit financial gains were concealed through shell companies formed by the involved parties.

Both Morea and his brother were previously questioned by the Mumbai Police EOW regarding their connections to Kadam and Joshi, as well as financial transactions linked to Santino's company.

The ED's recent searches resulted in the seizure of ₹7 lakh in cash, along with the freezing of 22 bank accounts and fixed deposits, bringing the total amount seized to over ₹1.25 crore. This desilting initiative was initiated by Mumbai's civic authorities following the devastating floods in 2005.