NEW DELHI: As the
Enforcement Directorate's investigation against Rajya Sabha MP
Sanjay Raut gathers pace, the perceptivity of the idiom 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' is getting underscored yet again, with Marathi film director Swapna Patkar providing crucial details about the alleged benami properties of the voluble
Shiv Sena MP.
Once considered close to Raut, Patkar fell out with him after the editor of Sena's mouthpiece allegedly pressured her to pledge the properties he had helped the filmmaker acquire, to his wife Varsha. Patkar did not budge even when her former spouse allegedly sided with the journalist-turned politician who played a key role in weaning Sena away from BJP.
The bitterness reflected in an intensely animated purported conversation between the two and which had allegedly resulted in the filmmaker ending up in jail for a fake degree accusation. This led Swapna handing over some crucial documents to ED, which investigators claim have led to strengthening of its money laundering probe having a trail of the 'proceeds of crime'.
Another FIR has been registered by Mumbai Police against the Sena MP for threatening Patkar based on a leaked audio clip.
The documents are indicative of payments made for acquiring properties using unaccounted cash, source said. The ED questioned Varsha on Saturday about the investments made by Raut and tallied those with what the MP had earlier claimed.
Patkar has joint ownership of at least eight plots at Kihim beach in Alibaug with Raut's wife Varsha. Both Raut and Varsha are accused in the Patra Chawl money laundering case and have been questioned by the ED.
The anti-money laundering agency is currently on the money trail of more than Rs 1,000 crore allegedly laundered by close associates of Raut through sale of development rights to nine builders at Patra Chawl redevelopment project in Goregaon.
Pravin Raut, a close aide of Sanjay Raut, was awarded redevelopment work for the rehabilitation of 672 tenants of the Patra Chawl through his Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd.
Pravin teamed up with Rakesh and Sarang Wadhwan of HDIL to redevelop the Goregaon project. The ED's probe has revealed that Rs 100 crore was transferred by the Wadhwans to Pravin Raut soon after the project was awarded to them. A part of the 'proceeds of crime' has been traced to Varsha Raut's bank accounts.