The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab in connection with a money laundering case. The central probe agency has served him a notice asking him to appear before it on Tuesday. The minister has been in the money laundering case filed against former minister Anil Deshmukh and others.
Anil Parab has been asked to appear before the investigating officer of the ED at its south Mumbai on August 31. The case is related to the alleged ₹100 crore extortion racket alleged by former police commissioner Param Bir Singh that had led to the resignation of former home minister Anil Deshmukh.
Anil Parab was also mentioned by disgraced former cop Sachin Vaze in his letter to the NIA, where he had alleged that Parab had asked him to collect Rs 2 crore each from 50 contractors associated with the BMC. Vaze had also written that Parab had asked him to initiate talk about extorting Rs 50 crores from SBUT to end an inquiry. Later, Param Bir Singh had confirmed that Sachin Vaze had informed him about the same after he was removed from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner.
Reacting to the summon by ED, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut alleged that it is direct fallout of union minister Narayan Rane.
After Rane was arrested by Maharashtra police for his comments against Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, a video had emerged showing transport minister Anil Parab instructing someone on phone to arrest the union minister.
On the other hand, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya tweeted that now Anil Parab will have to give the “HISAB accounts for ₹100 crore VASOOLI of Sachin Vaze”. He added that Parab is linked to Collection from BMC Contractors, RTO transfers, ST Tickets Ghotala, illegal Dapoli Resort etc.