The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Deepak Deshmukh, the son of the Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Education Society director Appasaheb Deshmukh, for his alleged involvement in admission-linked irregularities at the medical college run by the education society between 2011 and 2016. The accused was allegedly a beneficiary of the proceeds of crime.
₹49.50 lakh was allegedly transferred to the bank account of the arrested accused Deepak Deshmukh. (Representational image)” title=”According to ED, an amount of around 49.50 lakh was allegedly transferred to the bank account of the arrested accused Deepak Deshmukh. (Representational image)” />The agency’s probe is based on a 2016 first information report (FIR) registered by the Satara police in Maharashtra. According to ED, the said education society had allegedly collected around 30 lakhs to 40 lakh each from multiple students during 2011-2016 but did not give them admissions. Funds around 69 crore were allegedly collected from the students in this manner and were deposited into the bank accounts of the society and its colleges, projecting them as income of a hospital, said the officials.
The amount collected from the students was allegedly diverted to the personal accounts of the president of the said education society Mahadev Deshmukh, director Appasaheb Deshmukh and their family members that were later used for purchasing vehicles and making investments etc., the officials said. From this pool of funds, an amount of around Rs 49.50 lakh was allegedly transferred to the bank account of the arrested accused Deepak, ED officials said.
ED had issued three summons to the accused Deepak earlier, but he had allegedly not co-operated in the investigation, the officials said. The agency arrested the accused on the basis of his alleged involvement in money-laundering activity linked to the case’s proceedings of crime, they added. “The amount of Rs. 49.50 lakh received by the accused is proceedings of scheduled crime and the probe will try to find the end-user of the said money,” said an official who did not want to be named.
Deshmukh was remanded to ED’s custody till September 12 by city special court on Thursday. ED had earlier in 2022 arrested two top functionaries of the society.
The arrested accused’s lawyer on the other hand told the court during the remand hearing that his client is involved in the business of stone-crushing and that only one transaction, of 20 lakh of the year 2014, out of the chart in ED’s remand application is relevant and for which he has already given an explanation. According to the accused, his business entity, Ajinkya Stone Crusher, had provided stone to the college and the amount of 20 lakhs received in 2014 was allegedly a payment for the said transaction as received by him. His lawyer also argued that the police case of 2016, which is the basis of the ED’s probe, only covers transactions from 2014-2016, and the agency cannot expand the scope of the investigation.
The court, while remanding the accused to ED’s custody, however held that the arrested accused appears allegedly to be a beneficiary of proceeds of crime, considering especially the unexplained transactions of 49.5 lakh in his account.
