Actor Dino Morea, his brother Santino, and BMC officials have been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in a Rs 65 crore Mithi River desilting scam. ED raids over 15 locations in connection with the money laundering case.
Dino Morea. File Pic
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned at least eight people, including actor Dino Morea, his brother Santino, and some Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials, for questioning next week amid the ongoing investigations in the money laundering case linked to an alleged Rs 65 crore Mithi river desilting “scam”, official sources said on Saturday.
The development came a day after the central agency conducted search operations in 15 different premises in Mumbai, Maharashtra, and Kochi, Kerala.
"Around eight to nine people, including actor Dino Morea, his brother Santino and some Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials, have been asked to appear before the agency at the ED office in Mumbai on different dates next week," a source said, as reported by PTI.
“Their statements will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) once they depose,” he added.
Dino Morea's house in the Bandra (West) area, apart from premises linked to his brother and those of BMC officials and contractors, was searched by the ED on Friday.
What is the alleged Mithi river desilting scam?
The ED case stems from a Mumbai Police economic offences wing (EOW) FIR filed in May against 13 people, including contractors and civic officials. The case involves an alleged Rs 65.54 crore scam in the tenders awarded from 2017-2023 for desilting of the Mithi River which flows through Mumbai and acts as a stormwater drainage channel for the metro city.
In the complaint, the police alleged that BMC officials structured the tender for the desilting contract so that it favoured a specific supplier of machinery and that the contractors generated fake claims for transporting the sludge outside of Mumbai.
Morea and his brother were questioned by the Mumbai Police EOW in relation to this case last month. The 49-year-old actor has been questioned twice by the police prior to the latest summon by ED.
This is not the first time that Morea has been linked to an ED investigation. Earlier, in 2021, the ED had attached his assets as part of a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged bank fraud case against Gujarat-based pharmaceutical company Sterling Biotech and its promoters.
(With PTI inputs)
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