Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik reaches Enforcement Directorate office in Mumbai

Mumbai: Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik reached the Enforcement Directorate's office here on Thursday after being summoned by the probe agency following a raid at his residence in connection with a money laundering case.

Sarnaik arrived at the ED's office at Ballard Estate in south Mumbai around 11 am.

Earlier, searches at 10 premises of Sarnaik, Tops Grup and its promoter Rahul Nanda, and few others were launched by the ED on November 24 in neighbouring Thane and Mumbai.

Nanda, as per media reports, had denied any wrongdoing.

Sarnaik's son Vihang was also earlier questioned by the ED at its office here.

The ED recently also arrested Amit Chandole, an alleged associate of Sarnaik, and Tops Grup Managing Director M Shashidharan under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The case relates to a complaint lodged by an ex- employee, Ramesh Iyyer, of the Tops Grup.

Iyyer alleged that in 2014, in a contract with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority for supply of 350 to 500 guards, the security firm had given only 70 per cent guards and some amount of the amount paid by the MMRDA went to private accounts of the accused.

The Shiv Sena had earlier called the raids a "political vendetta" and said the Maharashtra government or its leaders will not surrender to pressure from anyone.

Sarnaik, 56, represents the Ovala-Maijwada constituency of Thane in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and is also a spokesperson for his party.