MUMBAI: In a blow to the NCP (Sharad Pawar faction), the Enforcement Directorate on Friday raided the premises of a firm Baramati Agro owned by NCP supremo Sharad Pawar’s grand-nephew and MLA Rohit Pawar as part of its investigation into the alleged Rs 25,000-crore Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam. The raids, which went on for six hours, also involved properties in other places like Pune, Pimpri and Aurangabad.
Rohit Pawar, 38, is NCP MLA from Karjat-Jamkhed seat in the Maharashtra assembly and is the owner and CEO of Baramati Agro.
The probe against his firm pertains to allegations of ‘diversion’ of funds and deposit of earnest funds of a company that bid for the purchase of a Maharashtra-based ailing cooperative sugar factor (CSF).
Sharad Pawar and his nephew, Ajit Pawar, who is now part of the ruling coalition in the state, had also been named in the scam earlier.
In 2019, the Mumbai Police had registered an FIR against Ajit Pawar, Sharad Pawar and 70 others in the cooperative bank scam. The police complaint came after the Bombay High Court issued an order on August 22 that year to investigate the allegations of selling sugar factories in the Maharashtra cooperative sector through alleged fraudulent means and also that they were sold at throwaway prices.
However, the police had filed a closure report later that year, citing lack of evidence. The ED has opposed the closure report.
In July 2021, the investigation agency had also seized assets of the Jarandeshwar Sugar Mills, in which Ajit Pawar was once a director, in connection with the scam.
The NCP Sharad Pawar faction said BJP's insecurity over Rohit Pawar’s recent Yuva Sangharsh Yatra prompted the searches. The party spokesperson Clyde Crasto said the ED’s searches will not deter Rohit Pawar. “He will come out stronger. It is clear that the Sangharsh Yatra has hit a nerve and made the BJP insecure,” Crasto claimed.
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya demanded a quick probe into the allegations.
“We requested ED to investigate acquisition of Kannad cooperative sugar factory by Rohit Pawar's Baramati Agro at a very much undervalued price of Rs 50 crore through manipulated auction of Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank. I once again request all investigative agencies to expedite investigation against Rohit Pawar and Baramati Agro,” Somaiya said.
