The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Bollywood actor Dino Morea for questioning in connection with its ongoing probe into the alleged Rs 65 crore Mithi River desilting scam.
This comes a day after ED officials conducted searches at Morea’s residence in Mumbai as part of the investigation.
Morea, who is closely associated with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray, has previously been questioned twice by the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW), which is running a parallel investigation into the case. Officials suspect financial irregularities in payments made for desilting work between 2007 and 2021.
Authorities allege that tenders for specialised dredging equipment were manipulated to favour certain suppliers, leading to significant losses for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Both the ED and EOW are scrutinising the roles of civic officials, contractors, and suppliers involved.
The Mithi River, flowing through Mumbai into the Arabian Sea, has long been a focal point of flood prevention efforts. However, frequent allegations of incomplete and fraudulent desilting work have raised concerns over corruption within the civic administration.