ED seizes Rs 32 crore worth valuables from Mumbai town planning official

Hyderabad: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday raided the houses of YS Reddy, Deputy Director of Town Planning, Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVMC).

The sleuths of probing agency conducted raids in 13 locations in Nalasopara, Vasai, and Virar near Mumbai, and Hyderabad in connection with a money laundering probe in an illegal buildings construction case.

The agency seized approximately Rs 8.6 crore cash and Rs 23.25 crore worth diamond-studded jewellery and bullion from the house of YS Reddy.

Reddy was earlier arrested in April 2016 by the Thane unit of the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly offering Rs 25 lakh to a Shiv Sena corporator to stop going ahead with court cases against him. The money laundering investigation is based on multiple FIRs registered by the Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar Police Commissionerate against builders, local henchmen and others for “illegal construction of residential-cum-commercial buildings on government and private land” under the jurisdiction of VVMC since 2009. The documents seized during the raids disclosed a large-scale scam involving illegal construction in the Vasai Virar area in collusion with the officials of VVMC, the ED officials said.