Everything is not well in Maharashtra these days. First Anil Deshmukh, then Nawab Malik and now Anil Parab’s name has come up in a money laundering case.
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has clearly said that now it is Anil Parab’s turn to go to jail. The way Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided seven places in Pune and Mumbai linked to the Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader on Thursday, it clearly indicates that now Parab’s troubles have begun. And if this happens, it can be a big problem for the Thackeray government.
Anil Parab has remained a favourite of the Thackeray family since the times of Bal Thackeray. Once upon a time, Parab’s name used to be a big name in the cable operating business. But, he also practised in court and at the same time had a good reach inside the most influential address of Mumbai – Matoshree.
Parab was not just a cable operator and legal adviser to Shiv Sena. His role was much bigger than that. When Bal Thackeray wrote his will in his last days, he also recorded the name of Parab as a witness. However, later in 2015, Bal Thackeray’s second son, Jaidev Thackeray, approached the court questioning this will. Jaidev had called the will fake, considering it as one-sided in favour of Uddhav Thackeray. When the matter escalated, Parab appeared in the court and presented his side. The court considered the will to be correct which brought great relief to Uddhav Thackeray.
In 2012, during the last days of Bal Thackeray, Parab was sent by Shiv Sena to the Legislative Council. After Bal Thackeray died in November 2012, the command of Shiv Sena came in the hands of his son Uddhav. Parab also had a deep relationship with Uddhav and it still remains.
Parab’s relationship with Thackeray family or Shiv Sena may be old and holds importance, but now many serious allegations have been made against him. The Thackeray family is not able to help the government because the investigative agencies are under the central government and the possibility of getting any help from the Centre is negligible.
Dismissed assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze claimed that Parab allegedly received crores of rupees through Nagpur’s deputy regional transport officer Bajrang Kharmate as a bribe for transfers of 10 police officers in Mumbai.
The ED has registered a fresh case under criminal sections of the Money Laundering Act (PMLA), after which raids are being conducted at several places in Dapoli, Mumbai and Pune. The three-time elected member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, Parab is currently the Transport Minister of the state. The ED action pertains to allegations related to Parab’s purchase of a land in Dapoli in 2017 at a consideration value of Rs 1 crore. This land was registered in 2019.
It is alleged that this land was later sold to Mumbai-based cable operator Sadanand Kadam for Rs 1.10 crore in 2020. Meanwhile, a resort was built on this land from 2017 to 2020. The Income Tax Department’s investigation had earlier said that the construction of the resort started in 2017 and Rs 6 crore in cash was spent on it. Earlier, the ED had questioned Parab in another money laundering case involving former minister Anil Deshmukh.