Mithi River Desilting Scam: Middleman Seeks Bail

Mumbai, Jun 20 (PTI) An alleged middleman arrested in a Rs 65 crore scam linked to award of contract for desilting the Mithi river in Mumbai has moved a bail application before a sessions court here.
On Friday, the bail plea of the accused, Ketan Kadam, came up for hearing before Additional Sessions Judge N G Shukla, who adjourned the matter to June 27 after seeking a reply from the prosecution.
This is the second attempt by the accused to seek bail in the case in which Bollywood actor Dino Morea has been questioned multiple times by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing money laundering angle in the scam, and also the Mumbai police.
Earlier, a magistrate's court had rejected Kadam's plea, saying the possibility of him causing "hurdles in the investigation cannot be ruled out".
The Mumbai police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has filed a case against 13 persons, including contractors and civic officials, for an alleged Rs 65 crore scam related to the desilting of the Mithi River, which flows through the metropolis and also acts as a stormwater drainage channel.

Kadam and another alleged middleman, Jay Joshi, were arrested by the EOW in connection with the case. Joshi was released on bail earlier this month by the sessions court.
The police have alleged that Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials tailored the tender for the desilting contract to benefit a particular supplier of machinery needed for the work.
Further, the contractors generated fraudulent bills for transporting sludge out of Mumbai. The civic body suffered a loss of more than Rs 65.54 crore due to the entire scam, police have stated.

The ED on June 6 conducted searches at more than 15 locations in Mumbai, and Kochi in Kerala, including the premises of Dino Morea in Bandra (West), those linked to his brother Santino, some BMC officials, and contractors among others, official sources earlier said.
The ED case stems from an EOW FIR filed in May against 13 persons, including contractors and civic officials, related to tenders awarded from 2017-2023 for desilting of the Mithi river.