The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday has conducted a raid at six locations in office premises residences of Directors of the Viva Group which is owned by the Thakur family (Hitendra Thakur) in Vasai -Virar in connection with the Punjab-Maharashtra Co-operative Bank (PMC) scam.
A close source to the development revealed that Viva Group received Rs 200 crore from tainted Housing Development Infra Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), who is a key accused in the PMC Bank fraud case.
ED conducts searches on premises of Hitendra Thakur owned Viva group, in Mumbai in connection with Yes Bank & PMC Bank Scam. ED has traced money trail b/w Pravin Raut & Thakur family: ED Officials
Raids underway in Mira Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar; around 6 premises being raided pic.twitter.com/WzbKJpGjFJ
— ANI (@ANI) January 22, 2021
Reportedly, Viva Trust and its group companies are run and controlled by family members of Underworld don Bhai Thakur also known as Jayendra Vishu Thakur. Thakur controlled areas of Vasai -Virar for over three decades and had been in jail multiple times for several cases including smuggling, murder, land grab, and various other cases. His brother Hitendra Thakur is the president of the party named Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) and running the show for several years in these areas (Vasai-Virar).
Pravin Raut is accused in the PMC bank case. Thakur has financial ties with Praveen Raut and the ED suspects that he is also involved in the scam.
Earlier this month, in connection with the same case, the ED had questioned Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha Raut.
In the last few months, the law enforcement agency has conducted several raids across Maharashtra and summoned many state political leaders.
