The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the residence and office of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena’s Nagpur district president, Uttam Kapse, and other Nagpur-based Sena leaders on Friday, in connection with a 2021 sand smuggling case, sources said.
Though the ED raids began on Friday morning, the ED did not officially confirm the names of those raided till late evening.
Significantly, the ED raid came exactly six days before the municipal corporation elections are set to begin on January 15, and according to political observers, the ED raid is a setback to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, though the political implications are still clear.
Interestingly, some of the individuals whose premises were searched are allegedly linked to Congress leader and former minister Sunil Kedar.
The raid, which began at 5 am, was conducted by 10 teams of ED from Nagpur and Delhi. Premises belonging to Uttam Kapse, Prafulla Kapse, Vinod Gupta, Laxmikant Satpute, and Dadu Kolte in Saoner, besides offices as well as residences of Sharad Rai, Manoj Gaikwad in Patansawangi, and Amit Rai in Khapa, were raided by the ED, sources said.
According to sources, the ED conducted simultaneous raids at around 56 locations across Saoner, Khapa, Patansaongi, and nearby areas in Nagapur, targeting residences and business establishments of individuals suspected to be linked to illegal sand extraction and its financial network.
The 2021 sand smuggling case was registered during the tenure of the then Nagpur Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, who had launched a crackdown on illegal sand mining operations in the district. Later, the case was transferred to the ED under provisions of money laundering laws, sources said.
Sources said that the ED is examining large-scale financial transactions, benami assets and alleged proceeds of crime linked to alleged illegal sand excavation. Documents, digital devices and other material evidence are believed to have been seized during the raids, sources said.