Mumbai: In a dramatic twist to the unfolding Mithi River desilting scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday stormed multiple locations in Mumbai and Kochi — including the upscale residence of Bollywood actor Dino Morea. This latest action is part of a widening investigation into a ₹65 crore money laundering case that has rocked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and implicated high-profile individuals and contractors.
The ED’s crackdown follows closely on the heels of an inquiry by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police, which had earlier questioned Morea and his brother, Santino Morea. Investigators unearthed a series of phone conversations linking the brothers to Ketan Kadam, a prime accused in the scam. These conversations, now under forensic scrutiny, are believed to be key to understanding the alleged financial conspiracy.
Further raising eyebrows, authorities discovered that ₹18 lakh had been funneled from Kadam’s account to UBO Ridez, a company in which Santino Morea is a director. Both UBO Ridez and Kadam’s own firm, Vodar India LLP, share the same business address in Worli — a detail investigators say may not be a coincidence.
The scam centers around the BMC’s desilting project for Mumbai’s critical Mithi River. Officials and contractors are suspected of inflating equipment rental costs for dredgers and silt pushers, siphoning off crores under the guise of public infrastructure development. The fraudulent transactions reportedly caused heavy losses to the government exchequer, raising public outrage over yet another civic scandal.
