<p>The Enforcement Directorate has arrested former Maharashtra Home Minister and senior NCP leader Anil Deshmukh’s Personal Secretary Sanjeev Palande and Personal Assistant Kundan Shinde in the wee hours of Saturday.</p>.<p>Deshmukh has also been summoned to appear on Saturday; however, his lawyers have sought more time – and a fresh date would be given to him by the agency.</p>.<p>Deshmukh (70), a senior politician, is facing a probe by ED in connection with the allegations made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, who is now the Commandant General of Home Guards.</p>.<p>According to the allegations, Deshmukh had fixed a collection target of Rs 100 crore per month for Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze, who was the then head of the Crime Intelligence Unit of the elite Crime Branch-CID of Mumbai Police.</p>.<p>Singh later approached the Supreme Court and then at the apex court's instructions Bombay High Court, which ordered a probe into the allegations.</p>.<p><strong>Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/west/anil-deshmukhs-2-aides-remanded-in-ed-custody-till-july-1-1001818.html" target="_blank">Anil Deshmukh's 2 aides remanded in ED custody till July 1</a></strong></p>.<p>Vaze, who has now been dismissed, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the twin cases of planting of a gelatin sticks-laden Scorpio near Antilia, the Carmichael Road residence of Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman Mukesh Ambani and the murder of the Thane-based owner of the SUV Mansukh Hiran.</p>.<p>Initially the CBI registered an FIR into the case and subsequently the ED has joined the investigations.</p>.<p>Palande and Shinde were grilled for 9 hours before they were arrested.</p>.<p>The arrest of Deshmukh’s two aides comes barely hours after he said that the allegations were baseless and he was cooperating with the two federal agencies.</p>.<p>The duo were produced before a special PMLA court on Saturday, which remanded them to ED custody till 1 July.</p>.<p>While the ED has not specified any details, the current investigation involves a financial trail of Rs four crore that is believed to have been collected from Vaze.</p>.<p>NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, however, had said: “We are neither surprised not worried….This is being done only to harass Deshmukh… This is a new political pattern (of misuse of its agencies) by the Centre. They will get nothing, we are not worried by such investigations”.</p>
<p>The Enforcement Directorate has arrested former Maharashtra Home Minister and senior NCP leader Anil Deshmukh’s Personal Secretary Sanjeev Palande and Personal Assistant Kundan Shinde in the wee hours of Saturday.</p>.<p>Deshmukh has also been summoned to appear on Saturday; however, his lawyers have sought more time – and a fresh date would be given to him by the agency.</p>.<p>Deshmukh (70), a senior politician, is facing a probe by ED in connection with the allegations made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, who is now the Commandant General of Home Guards.</p>.<p>According to the allegations, Deshmukh had fixed a collection target of Rs 100 crore per month for Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze, who was the then head of the Crime Intelligence Unit of the elite Crime Branch-CID of Mumbai Police.</p>.<p>Singh later approached the Supreme Court and then at the apex court's instructions Bombay High Court, which ordered a probe into the allegations.</p>.<p><strong>Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/west/anil-deshmukhs-2-aides-remanded-in-ed-custody-till-july-1-1001818.html" target="_blank">Anil Deshmukh's 2 aides remanded in ED custody till July 1</a></strong></p>.<p>Vaze, who has now been dismissed, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the twin cases of planting of a gelatin sticks-laden Scorpio near Antilia, the Carmichael Road residence of Reliance Industries Ltd Chairman Mukesh Ambani and the murder of the Thane-based owner of the SUV Mansukh Hiran.</p>.<p>Initially the CBI registered an FIR into the case and subsequently the ED has joined the investigations.</p>.<p>Palande and Shinde were grilled for 9 hours before they were arrested.</p>.<p>The arrest of Deshmukh’s two aides comes barely hours after he said that the allegations were baseless and he was cooperating with the two federal agencies.</p>.<p>The duo were produced before a special PMLA court on Saturday, which remanded them to ED custody till 1 July.</p>.<p>While the ED has not specified any details, the current investigation involves a financial trail of Rs four crore that is believed to have been collected from Vaze.</p>.<p>NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, however, had said: “We are neither surprised not worried….This is being done only to harass Deshmukh… This is a new political pattern (of misuse of its agencies) by the Centre. They will get nothing, we are not worried by such investigations”.</p>
