ACB raids seven locations of Shiv Sena UBT MLA Rajan Salvi over ‘disproportionate assets’

According to ACB officials, a fresh FIR has been registered against Salvi, his wife Anuja and son Shubham under Section 12 of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

A senior ACB officer said, “It was earlier revealed that between October 2009 and December 12, 2022, he had acquired wealth of nearly Rs 3.53 crore more than his known sources of income due to which an open inquiry was initiated. Salvi was summoned and had even appeared before us at our Alibaug office for around six times.”

ACB officials claimed that the value of Salvi’s assets were 118.96 percent more than his known sources of income, and he was not satisfactorily able to answer where the money that was used to procure these assets had come from.

The ACB officials derived that the assets were acquired unfairly following which the open inquiry was converted into an FIR on Thursday.

Subsequently, ACB’s team from the Ratnagiri unit conducted raids at seven premises belonging to Salvi including a hotel, house and offices.

Our teams searched his premises and seized some electronic evidence and incriminating documents from those locations,” said an ACB officer.

The officials further said that despite knowing that the properties were acquired through illegal means, his wife Anuja and son Shubham obtained the properties on their own names and encouraged Salvi by occupying them due to which they have also been named in the FIR.

Alleging that the ACB action against him and his family members is being taken since he showed his allegiance to Uddhav Thackeray, Rajan Salvi said he will not leave Uddhav Thackeray at any cost. Salvi said that since the time he had chosen to be Shiv Sena UBT and not join Shinde-led faction, he knew that he will have to face the trouble and there would be action by the agencies against him.

“Since I stayed with the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, I had prepared my mind that I would be harassed by the police machinery. The police have my arrest warrant but so far they have not sought any documents from me. My party and voters are with me and they have faith in me,” Salvi said.

The Shiv Sena UBT called the action political vendetta with Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut claiming that Salvi was threatened with ACB’s action if he did not join the Shinde-led Sena.