Agency believes Navlani, accused of duping businessmen in the name of ED, has fled the country
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut in a recent press conference alleged that ED and some senior officers were running an extortion racket. File pic
The Anti-Corruption Bureau of Maharashtra police has issued a look out circular (LOC) against businessman Jitendra Navlani alias Jitu Navlani who is accused of extorting various other businessmen claiming that he was working on behalf of the Enforcement Directorate. The ACB believes Navlani was tipped off while the FIR was being registered and he may have fled the country.
ACB booked Navlani, who has links with top politicians and bureaucrats, and others under sections 7 (A) and 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act on May 5 for allegedly collecting Rs 59 crore from city businessmen. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut has made the allegation, adding that the central agency and some senior officers have been running an extortion racket by threatening businessmen with money laundering cases.
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“Within 24 hours of registering the FIR, the LOC was issued against him and various summons were also sent to him. However, he is untraceable,” an ACB officer said, requesting anonymity. “We are probing if he just used the names of ED officers or if the officers were aware of this and were in touch with Navlani,” the officer added.
The ACB has also recorded statements of Navlani’s staff based on some circumstantial evidence. “We initially conducted a preliminary probe and found some evidence that led to the registration of FIR. The case will be probed by an ACP rank officer,” he added.
As per the FIR, Navlani took the money in the form of consultancy fees and an unsecured loan which was transferred to shell companies controlled by him. The ACB also claimed that he has been collecting money from 2015 to 2021.
Earlier, a Sena worker had written a complaint to Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey and the matter was first sent to the Economic Offences Wing and later shifted to a Special Enquiry Team headed by Additional Commissioner (Crime) Veeresh Prabhu. The SET has also issued multiple summons to Navlani but he did not respond.
5 May
Day the FIR was filed
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