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Properties worth Rs 6.93 crore attached by ED in connection to money laundering case against builder Shailesh Savla

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached properties totalling Rs 6.93 crore belonging to builder Shailesh Savla in connection with a money laundering case linked to the rehabilitation of slum dwellers at the Juhu Taj Slum Society.

The ED recently filed a chargesheet in court against builder Shailesh Savla and his companies, Kunal Construction and Savla Construction, for selling flats intended for slum dwellers to influential individuals. This case marks one of the oldest pending money laundering cases registered by the ED after the implementation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA-2005).

Shailesh Savla allegedly sold 133 "slam flats" to prominent figures, including Bollywood celebrities, a retired army officer, and a police officer, under fraudulent circumstances. The ED, in a press release, disclosed that the attached properties comprised a residential flat in the Victorian Anchor building at Parel and fixed deposits belonging to Savla and his wife Jayshree.

According to the ED, the case involves irregularities in the allotment of residential accommodation and shops under the Juhu Taj Slum Rehabilitation Scheme to individuals not connected with the slum. This was accomplished through the use of forged documents by Kunal Builders & Developers, owned by Shailesh Savla. The construction took place without a proper commencement certificate, and Chintan Lifespaces LLP was deceived by Kunal Builders & Developers under the false pretext of transferring the free-sale component in the Juhu Taj Slum Rehabilitation Scheme.

In this manner, Shailesh Savla cheated the Government of Maharashtra and Chintan Lifespaces LLP to the tune of Rs 112.5 crore. ED said that it has already made provisional attachments of immovable properties to the tune of Rs. 45.43 Crore in the name of Shailesh Savla and companies controlled by him.
In 2006, Savla proposed two buildings in the Juhu Taj Society for rehabilitating 133 slum dwellers. However, in collusion with the BMC and SRA officials, Savla manipulated plans to construct larger flats for sale to the affluent. The project was being developed on the 10th road in Juhu under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme.

Among those who purchased flats under the guise of slum dwellers are Bollywood celebrities, retired army officers, and a retired Director General of Police (DGP) from Maharashtra. Many individuals wrongly appeared as residents of Garib Mazdoor Nagar slum. It is noted that the ED had not investigated the purchasers who had exited the project after the registration of the money laundering case, and their statements had not been recorded.

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