Patra chawl: ED witness says ‘Thackeray’ movie was made with Raut’s black money

The ED alleges that Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut made Rs 1.06 crore from the Patra chawl redevelopment project.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut outside Arthur Road Jail after a special court extended his judicial custody by 14 days in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the redevelopment of 'Patra Chawl', in Mumbai, Monday, Sept. 19, 2022. (PTI Photo)

In her statements to the Enforcement Directorate, Sanjay Raut’s former aide and the agency’s prime witness in the Patra chawl case has alleged that a family-owned entity of the Shiv Sena MP had produced the film Thackeray with his unaccounted money.

Swapna Patkar has given multiple ED statements since last year and Raut denied the charges. He told the agency there were agreements with film production companies. As per his statement to the agency, Rauters Entertainment, where his wife and daughters are named directors, produced the film.

“He (Raut) has channelised his unaccounted money in this project,” read Patkar’s statement, which is part of a supplementary chargesheet filed last week. She also alleges that he acquired a liquor company in April 2021. “Apart from investing unaccounted money in the above-mentioned projects, he nowadays started routing his unaccounted money through various shell companies opened in the name of family members and his associates,” she said.

Patkar said Raut had helped her get complete sponsorship for a film she had produced. When the film recovered its cost, he demanded Rs 50 lakh for arranging the money, she further alleged.

Though the ED has accused that land deals done in Alibaug were linked to the “proceeds of crime” generated from the chawl redevelopment project in Mumbai, Raut, Patkar and her husband, Sujit, have given contradictory statements.

While Raut says the Alibaug land deals were for a resort project for Patkar, she says it was what the Sena leader wanted, adding that he and her husband had dealt with the land owners.

Some of the land owners have told the ED they were forced to sell their land. Raut has maintained that Patkar dealt with the sellers.

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The registered value of the land parcels was Rs 51 lakh, even though its value was approximately Rs 9-10 crore, according to Patkar.

Further, explaining the Rs 11.5 lakh found at his home during his arrest, Raut said it was money that Sena workers had contributed to fund their Ayodha visit in June. “This was unspent amount to be returned to Eknath Shinde and was kept in my house,” Raut’s statement read.

The ED alleges that Raut made Rs 1.06 crore from the redevelopment project through his “proxy” and co-accused Pravin Raut.

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