Mumbai’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Wednesday arrested Ketan Kadam (50) and Jay Joshi (49), two alleged middlemen in the multi-crore Mithi River desilting scam. The arrests followed an FIR filed a day earlier against 13 individuals, including three BMC officials, for financial fraud linked to river desilting contracts.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (EOW) Sangramsinh Nishandar, Joshi owns Virgo Specialties Pvt Ltd, while Kadam is associated with Voder India LLP. Both men were presented before a city court and have been remanded to police custody until May 13.
The EOW’s special investigation team (SIT), after months of inquiry, uncovered serious irregularities in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 Mithi River desilting contracts. The probe revealed manipulation of transportation and dumping records of sludge, backed by nine fake Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) submitted by contractors.
Following the FIR, the EOW conducted raids at seven locations, including the residences of BMC officials, contractors, and the two arrested middlemen.
The case has been registered under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 406 (criminal breach of trust), 409, 420 (cheating), 465, 467, 468, 471 (forgery), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).
Investigations are ongoing, with more arrests likely in the coming days.
