Mithi river desilting scam: Police question Bollywood actor Dino Morea again

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police, which is investigating the Rs 65-crore Mithi river desilting scam, questioned Bollywood actor Dino Morea and his brother on Wednesday in connection with the case, officials said. This is the second time in the past three days that the actor was called for questioning by the EOW, a police officer said.

Morea and his brother Santino appeared before EOW officers at the Mumbai Police Commissioner`s office in south Mumbai and their statements were being recorded, he added.

The brothers were being asked about their alleged links with middleman Ketan Kadam who has been arrested in the Mithi river desilting scam case along with another accused, Jai Joshi, the officer said.

As per preliminary investigation, Morea and his brother had repeated phone conversations with Kadam, the officer said, adding the EOW team also found some suspicious transactions of Kadam and Joshi and were probing if the actor had any role in these transactions.

Kadam and Joshi were involved in the renting out of `silt pusher` machines and multipurpose amphibious pontoon machines to contractors who were carrying out Mithi river desilting work in the city.

Earlier this month, the EOW registered a case against 13 people, including civic officials and contractors for their alleged involvement in the scam. The agency also alleged that tenders for renting specialised dredging equipment were manipulated to favour certain suppliers.

Mithi river desilting scam: Loss exceeds Rs 1,200 crore, alleges BJP legislator

BJP MLC Prasad Lad, who had raised alarm bells over the Mithi river desilting scam during the monsoon session of the Maharashtra Legislature, met with Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti on Tuesday and submitted several documents related to the multi-crore fraud, which is currently under investigation by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW).

Speaking to mid-day after the meeting, Lad claimed that the scam is far greater in scope than previously estimated. “This is not just a Rs 65 crore scam — it exceeds Rs 1200 crore. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is currently examining irregularities from only the past couple of years, but this scam spans over a decade and a half,” Lad said.

He urged the police to scrutinise fund allocations and disbursals for the last 15 years related to the Mithi river desilting project. He also demanded the arrest and interrogation of actor Dino Morea, whose name has surfaced in the probe.

(With PTI inputs)

This article first appeared on Mid Day