The Mumbai police have arrested one more accused in the alleged Rs 65 crore Mithi river desilting scam, an official said on Thursday, reported news agency PTI.

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) took the accused, Shershing Rathod, into custody recently after his role in the alleged irregularities came to the fore. He will be produced before the court later in the day, the official said, reported PTI.

This is the third arrest in the alleged scam. Earlier, EOW had arrested Ketan Kadam and Jai Joshi in connection with the case, reported PTI.

The agency had also questioned Bollywood actor Dino Morea and his brother over the Mithi desilting matter.

The Mumbai Police had in May registered a case against 13 people, including contractors and civic officials, for an alleged Rs 65.54 crore scam in the tenders awarded from 2017-2023 for the desilting of Mithi, which flows through Mumbai and acts as a stormwater drainage channel for the metro city.

Earlier, BJP and Congress members in the Maharashtra legislative council demanded that Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) be invoked against the accused involved in alleged irregularities in the desilting of Mithi river in Mumbai, reported news agency PTI.

BJP member Rajhans Singh raised the issue in the House and said crores of rupees have been spent on desilting the Mithi river.

The Mithi originates from the Vihar lake and has an inlet from the Powai lake further downstream. It merges with the Arabian Sea near Mahim. After the 2005 floods in Mumbai, the work of desilting the Mithi river was undertaken.

Industries Minister Uday Samant, who was speaking on behalf of Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde, said before the tender for desilting Mithi was awarded in 2013, the silt was being dumped at the Deonar dumping ground, reported PTI.

Post-2013, the contractors were supposed to take care of the silt, he said, adding that 16,70,000 metric tonnes of silt was removed from the river, but it was not found dumped anywhere.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Mumbai police`s Economic Offence Wing is probing the case. Two persons have been arrested in this connection while some have secured anticipatory bail. Some of them involved in irregularities have opened night clubs and chain of hotels, the minister said.

Congress` Jagtap said if the accused are involved in the fraud of crores of rupees of people, then the government can invoke the MCOCA, reported PTI.

“This is an organised crime…This is a cartel of officials and contractors. Economic offences also come under its (MCOCA`s) ambit,” he said, reported PTI.

Prasad Lad (BJP) said the SIT is probing the case and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also has taken suo motu cognisance, reported PTI.

He said the scam runs into over Rs 1,000 crore.

“The MCOCA should be invoked against the accused and their properties should be sealed,” Lad demanded, reported PTI.

Minister Samant said the state government will not rest till it reaches the bottom of the case.

(With inputs from PTI)

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