Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted a 341-page prosecution complaint (PC) against 18 individuals, including former Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) commissioner Anil Pawar, suspended deputy director of town planning Y.S. Reddy, builder Sitaram Gupta, his nephew Arun Gupta, and other builders, liaisoners, and middlemen, in connection with an alleged money laundering case linked to the illegal construction of 41 buildings on 60 acres of government and private land reserved for public utilities. The special PMLA court is expected to take cognizance of the complaint soon.
According to the ED, a provisional attachment order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on assets worth Rs 71 crore belonging to Pawar and other implicated builders. The attachment is part of the ongoing investigation into the laundering of proceeds of crime generated from illegal construction activities. The order also extends to assets associated with Pawar’s spouse, Bharti Pawar, and companies where she served as a director, including M/s Janardan Agri, M/s BSR Realty, M/s J.A. Pawar Builders, and M/s Shrutika Enterprises (a firm owned by their daughter).
The PC alleges that these companies, involved in residential redevelopment and warehouse projects, were allegedly used to launder bribe money collected during Pawar’s tenure. “Pawar floated these entities in the names of family members, relatives, and benamidars to facilitate the movement of illicit proceeds generated from unauthorised activities.
The ED has alleged that Pawar played a central role in a bribery and money laundering racket worth hundreds of crores. The allegations are reportedly supported by builder testimonies, WhatsApp chats, cash trail analysis, and other digital evidence.
The complaint states that senior civic officials, including Pawar, allegedly accepted substantial bribes to “turn a blind eye” to rampant encroachments and unauthorised developments. Despite multiple complaints and a pending civil writ petition (CWP), demolitions of the 41 unauthorised buildings were carried out only after direct intervention by the Bombay High Court, highlighting Pawar’s alleged role in shielding builders in exchange for bribes. These payments are said to be linked to the approval of multiple construction projects, with the total bribe amount running into several crores.
The PC further claims that WhatsApp chats and financial records indicate Pawar allegedly received over Rs 17.75 crore from senior VVCMC officer YS Reddy through cash deliveries routed via angadias. It adds that at least Rs 3.37 crore was reportedly handed over at a Dadar office to one of Pawar’s relatives. These payments are said to be linked to the approval of multiple construction projects, with the total bribe amount running into several crores, the PC says.
The complaint also alleges that Pawar used the illicit funds to purchase luxury sarees, pearls, gold, and diamond-studded jewellery, with transactions reportedly settled in cash.
In a statement recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA on August 7, 2025, Y.S. Reddy described a structured bribe distribution system. “Municipal Commissioner Anil Pawar would take Rs 20–25 per sq. ft. The Deputy Director of Town Planning received Rs 10 per sq. ft., Rs 4 per sq. ft. went to the Assistant Director of Town Planning / Town Planner, and Rs 1 per sq. ft. to the Junior Engineer,” Reddy stated. He further added that proposals for plots above 2,000 sq. m were handled by the ADTP, while smaller proposals were dealt with by the Town Planner.
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The ED said these payments were part of a systematic mechanism to approve illegal constructions on land reserved for public utilities, linking senior VVCMC officials directly to alleged corruption worth several crores.
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