The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested former Commissioner IAS Anil Pawar, corporator and builder Sitaram Gupta of the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, builder Arun Gupta, and suspended Deputy Town Planning Officer YS Reddy in a major scam connected to the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) in Palghar district, Maharashtra.
The investigation revealed that some builders constructed illegal buildings and sold flats to unsuspecting investors. Later, these illegal structures were demolished following a Supreme Court order, rendering many homebuyers homeless. IAS Anil Kumar Pawar, a relative of Maharashtra's Education Minister Dada Bhuse, was recently the Commissioner of the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation.
According to officials, all the accused were taken into custody on 13 August and the ED will seek their remand in a special PMLA court in Mumbai.
During the Shinde government, IAS Anil Kumar Pawar, a relative of Maharashtra's Education Minister Dada Bhuse, was appointed as the Additional District Collector of Thane and the Commissioner of the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation. Following the revelation of the unauthorised construction scam in Vasai-Virar, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed his displeasure.
Last month, the ED launched a major operation against this alleged illegal construction syndicate in Vasai-Virar, Maharashtra, conducting simultaneous raids at 16 different locations. These raids targeted architects, engineers, and agents linked to YS Reddy, the Deputy Director of the Town Planning Department of the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation.
The ED has obtained information about financial transactions, cash amounts, and properties linked to this racket. The investigating agency suspects that this syndicate is involved in the construction of 41 illegal residential and commercial buildings on approximately 60 acres of government land. It is believed that these constructions were carried out using forged documents and bribery. Substantial bribes were paid to secure approvals for the necessary files for illegal construction. These transactions were conducted through architects and agents.
