The Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched businessman Sadanand Kadam’s home in Dapoli on March 10 and brought him to Mumbai to question him in an alleged money laundering case related to a resort in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra.
Mr. Kadam is the brother of former minister Ramdas Kadam and close confidant of Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena’s former leader Anil Parab.
In December 2022, Sai Resort in Dapoli was served under the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act (PBPTA) and as per the Income Tax department, Mr. Parab is the beneficial owner of the resort and Sadanand Kadam is his front.
In January this year, the Central agency also provisionally attached assets worth ₹10.20 crore of Mr Parab in the same case. The investigation was initiated on the basis of a complaint filed by the Ministry of Environmental Forest and Climate Change against Mr. Parab, Sai Resort, Sea Conch Resort and others, before a judicial magistrate, Dapoli, for violation of The Environment (Protection) Act and a First Information Report was also registered by Dapoli Police Station for deceiving and causing loss to State Government of Maharashtra.
ED has previously contended, “Mr. Parab in connivance with businessman Sadanand Kadam got illegal permission from local sub-divisional office for conversion of use of land from agricultural to non-agricultural purpose and constructed resort in violation of coastal regulation zone (CRZ) norms. Mr. Parab acquired illegal permission from the Revenue Department for construction of a twin bungalow over a piece of land falling under CRZ-III i.e. no development zone.”
