The economic offences wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police registered a first information report on Monday against 17 members of Mahanand Board including NCP MLA Ramrao Vadkute, former MLA Rahul Mote and t
The economic offences wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police registered a first information report on Monday against 17 members of Mahanand Board including NCP MLA Ramrao Vadkute, former MLA Rahul Mote and then-managing director of Mahanand S.V.R. Shrinivas, an IAS officer, who is currently working as additional municipal commissioner in the BMC in Goregao Vanrai police station.
In September 2015, Maharashtra dairy development minister Eknath Khadse ordered the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the EOW of the police to probe the alleged misappropriation of over Rs 100 crore at Mahanand, the state government-owned dairy, during 2005-14.
The EOW started its investigation and after four months it uncovered a fraud transaction and filed an FIR against 17 people in the case. Chairman of Maharashtra Rajya Dudh Vitarak Vahatukdar Sanghtna, S.R. Naik, is the complainant in the case.
He alleged that Mote used his influence in the Mahanand Board to disburse '65 lakh instead of Rs 2.5 lakh through the managing director as an advance to the Bhoom Taluka Dudh Sangh (Milk Federation) in Osmanabad district in 2009.“The money that Mote had taken was part of a scam. It is still not clear for what purpose he used it. He might have used the money for campaigning during the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections held in 2009,” Mr Naik added. The FIR named 15 former directors of Mahanand, Mote and one more person. Mr Naik, in his complaint, stated that Shrinivas, who was the managing director in the board, sanctioned the amount at that time.
Speaking about the FIR, EOW officials said, “We have registered a case. We are investigating the matter and will soon arrest the accused.”
