Dino Morea Named in ₹1,100 Crore Mithi River Scam
Model actor Dino Morea has been accused of being involved in a Rs 65 crore fraud. Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing has called Dino in the context of the Mithi river silt clearance scam.
ED Raids Linked to Mithi River Scam
Enforcement Directorate officials are learnt to have recently raided 15 locations in Mumbai and Kerala, including Dino Morea's residence. The government had attempted to enhance navigability by dredging the Mithi river to clear silt so that floods in Mumbai can be prevented. And crores of rupees worth irregularities were found in that.
Suspected Links to Middlemen Surface
Charges of Dino's connection to two middlemen who were in the list of suspects of the investigators in this case have surfaced. That is why he was summoned to be questioned.
Mithi River Cleanup
It is heard that Mithi is a crucial river in Mumbai. The government had granted funds for cleaning this riverbed to avoid floods in Mumbai. There have been detected irregularities such as tendering extra tenders, fake documents. In addition to this, there are also charges of embezzlement of money.
Fake Tenders and Embezzlement Charges
That is, the amount received for silt removal from the river was never utilized in that department. The probe found that the contractors embezzled money by producing fake slips and logbooks. In addition, it is known that equipment worth about 3 crore rupees was also rented at an excessive rate.
₹1,100 Crore Scam Under ED Lens
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating a financial fraud of approximately Rs 1,100 crore involving the Mithi River beautification and desilting project. The fraud has run up massive losses for government exchequer and has also left cities like Mumbai on a tight leash for the monsoon. Rainwater draining in the lower courses of the Mithi River is an important and expensive activity.
Monsoon Floods Amplify the Crisis
Mumbai has been pounded with record rain since Monday morning. Nariman Point has reportedly witnessed around 104 mm of rainfall in an hour. Low-lying regions in some of the regions such as Kurla, Sion, Dadar, and Parel were flooded.
