india

Updated: Oct 23, 2019 23:39 IST

Mumbai: Bengaluru-resident Rinku Deshpande was produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Case (PMLA) court here on Wednesday and remanded in two-day Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody a day after she was arrested for her alleged role in three property deals on behalf of late gangster Iqbal Mirchi.

The ED is investigating three property deals of Mirchi, a close aide to fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, in a money-laundering case. It has identified the immovable properties as proceeds of criminal activities. Mirchi purchased these properties from Sir Mohammad Yusuf Trust in 1986 using ill-gotten money, according to the agency.

The agency said that businessman Humayun Merchant, who has been arrested in the case, facilitated a deal to redevelop the three buildings in connivance with the Trust’s chairman and British national Haroun Yusuf, who is also under arrest. They initially approached developer Joy Home Creation, it added.

The agency said later Merchant arranged a meeting between Joy Home Creation director Jayesh Soni and Mirchi in London. After Mirchi’s approval, an agreement was signed between the Trust and Joy Home Creation. However, Mirchi later forced Soni to give up the deal after he failed to pay Rs 11 crore as per their agreement, the agency said..

In 2010, Sunblink Real Estate Pvt Ltd entered into an agreement with the Trust and a deal was struck for the surrender of tenancy rights of the properties in favour of the former for Rs 225 crore.

“She [Deshpande] played the role of a broker in association with businessman Ranjit Bindra, another accused arrested in the case, between Mirchi and Merchant and Sunblink. She received criminal proceeds and assisted Mirchi in acquisition and laundering of proceeds of crime received by Mirchi from Sunblink,” the agency said in its remand report to the court.

The ED alleged that Deshpande was in contact with Mirchi and his relatives. “It also appears that she may have opened or aided the opening of accounts using fake KYC documents,” the agency said.

ED’s lawyer, Hiten Venegaonkar, informed the court about an e-mail exchange between Mirchi and Deshpande about the deal.

The ED said that the deal was brokered on behalf of Sunblink. “To siphon money, Deshpande was introduced as fake confirming party and received an amount of Rs 30.40 crore in her accounts. This amount was allegedly distributed among brokers, including Deshpande.”

Deshpande’s lawyer, Gaurav Parker, said that his client’s statement has been recorded three times in the past and that she was co-operating with the probe.