ED arrests former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh

According to an ED official, Deshmukh was arrested on Monday after 13 hours of interrogation at the central agency office.

He said that 71-year-old Deshmukh was arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He claimed that the senior NCP leader was evasive during interrogation and the agency would seek his custody after he was produced before a local court here on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh will oppose his Enforcement Directorate (ED) remand before the court, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader’s lawyer said on Tuesday.

“We cooperated in the investigation related to a case ₹Deshmukh’s lawyer Inderpal Singh told reporters, “4.5 crore… When he is produced in the court today, we will oppose his (Anil Deshmukh) remand.

The money laundering case against Deshmukh and others came to light after the CBI booked them in a corruption case involving minimal charges. ₹100 crore bribe by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh.

The federal probe agency has recorded the statement of the NCP leader under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). ₹100 crore bribe-cum-extortion racket in Maharashtra Police Establishment that led to Deshmukh’s resignation in April.

The interrogation and recording of statements went on for a long time as officials said Deshmukh was a “key figure” in the case and he should be questioned on a range of subjects, including revelations made by suspended Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze during ED’s interrogation.

Before going to the ED office, Deshmukh released a video message in which he said that he himself was appearing before the agency after the Bombay HC order last week.

“It was reported in the media that I was not cooperating with the ED… I went to CBI twice after I was called… My petition is still pending in the Supreme Court, but it will take time and So I myself have gone to the ED,” he said.

“When they raided us (in June), my family and I cooperated with the ED,” he said.

Deshmukh questioned the whereabouts of Param Bir Singh. He leveled bribery allegations against me but where is he now.