Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday raided former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh's residence in Nagpur, in reference to an alleged concealing case.
Previously, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had conducted raids at four premises of Anil Deshmukh after registering FIR against him in reference to allegations levelled against him by former Mumbai commissioner Param Bir Singh.
In April, the CBI officials had conducted raids at four properties of Deshmukh in Maharashtra including his residence in Mumbai and other property in Nagpur and seized electronic gadgets and incriminating documents.
Before that, the probe agency had administrated a preliminary inquiry against Deshmukh on the Bombay High Court’s orders to seem into the allegations against him levelled by the previous Mumbai commissioner.
Param Bir Singh had claimed that Anil Deshmukh asked cops to gather money from restaurant and bar owners in Mumbai. In his letter, he had also mentioned that former assistant inspector Sachin Vaze and ACP Sanjay Patil got a target to gather Rs 100 crores a month. These allegations were denied by the then-state home minister.
According to officials, the CBI got enough clear material during the inquiry to begin a proper probe by registering an everyday case against Deshmukh and other unidentified persons under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The former minister was summoned by the probe agency for questioning in reference to the matter on Pan American Day.
As a part of its preliminary inquiry, the CBI also questioned Deshmukh’s personal assistants Sanjeev Palande and Kundan Shinde, former cop Sachin Vaze’s two drivers, bar owners, Mumbai cops and therefore the people near the previous minister in reference to the alleged corruption case.
Alleging a "witch-hunt" against him, the previous Mumbai top cop moved the Supreme Court again, seeking a research into an alleged 'criminal conspiracy to border him' and said that what's happening in Maharashtra is nothing but a "witch-hunt".
The Supreme Court judge BR Gavai recused himself from hearing the plea seeking transfer of all departmental inquiries against him to an agency outside Maharashtra.