Op Maharashtra: ED detains Sanjay Raut after hours of search at his place

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Sunday detained Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut after hours of search at his Mumbai residence in connection with a an alleged money laundering case.

ED officials took the Sena leader to the agency's office in Mumbai. The Rajya Sabha MP left from his house in his own car as a huge number of Sena supporters gathered in.

The agency is probing Raut in a money laundering case linked to the alleged irregularities in the re-development of a Mumbai chawl and related transactions involving his wife and 'associates'.

The Rajya Sabha member, who is in the Uddhav Thackeray camp of the Shiv Sena, has denied any wrongdoing and stressed that he was being targeted due to political vendetta.

The search operation followed two summonses issued by the ED against Raut, the latest being on July 27.

Sanjay Raut, editor of the Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, had appeared before the agency in Mumbai to record his statement on July 1 in connection with the case.

After that, the ED had summoned him twice, but he had skipped the summonses citing his engagement with the ongoing Parliament session.

At 7 am on Sunday, ED officials, accompanied by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, reached Raut's 'Maitri' bungalow located in suburban Bhandup, and began the search.

"I swear by late Balasabheb Thackeray that I have nothing to do with any scam," Raut tweeted shortly after the ED action began. "I will die but won't leave Shiv Sena," Raut added.