ED summons Praful Patel in money laundering case

New Delhi: Tightening its noose around former Civil Aviation Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Praful Patel for his alleged links with the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s close aide Iqbal Mirchi, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned him for questioning on October 18, officials said on Tuesday.

A senior ED official told, “We have summoned Patel for questioning on October 18 at out Mumbai office.” The ED official said that Patel will be questioned under the Prevention of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED action comes three days after the underworld-politics nexus came to light.

The ED documents reveal that Millennium Developers, a company promoted by Patel and his wife, constructed a 15-storey building on a plot allegedly owned by Mirchi, an aide of India’s most wanted fugitive Dawood Ibrahim, who runs an international crime syndicate having deep roots in Mumbai and Dubai.

As per the list of Mirchi’s properties located in India and the UK, Ceejay House was constructed as a joint venture (JV) between Mirchi and Millenium Developers Pvt Ltd in 2006-07.

In 2007, the third and fourth floors of the building were given to Mirchi’s family by Millennium Developers. Patel and his wife own a significant number of shares in Millennium Developers Pvt Ltd.

According to the ED, investigation has revealed that Mirchi amassed various properties in India and overseas from the proceeds of crime generated through various illegal offences.

The agency has identified several properties in Mumbai owned by Mirchi and his family member.

The alleged dealing has been used by the Bharatiya Janata Party to attack the Congress-NCP alliance in Maharashtra ahead of next week’s assembly elections.

Earlier, the financial probe agency had questioned Patel for his alleged role in the Air India seat sharing deal case.