ED files prosecution complaint against Daman liquor smuggler

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a prosecution complaint against suspected liquor smuggler Ramesh Patel, his wife and others in a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court here today.

The central agency had launched a probe against Patel on the basis of an FIR and a chargesheet filed by the Gujarat Police against him last year for his alleged involvement in smuggling of liquor from Union Territory of Daman to Gujarat, where prohibition is in place.

Based on the investigation, the ED filed a 3,900-page prosecution complaint, which is similar to a chargesheet, in the special PMLA court here, the agency stated in a release.

 

The ED stated that the Gujarat Police has registered 23 FIRs against Patel, also known as Michael, his wife Bhanuben and his accomplices.

As per the chargesheet, Patel used to supply liquor to Surat-based bootleggers by creating forged invoices of plastic products.

The ED alleged that Patel used to transport liquor consignments in shipping containers to mislead the agencies at the Gujarat border.

The proceeds from the illegal supply of liquor were either used for purchasing properties or were deposited in various bank accounts, the ED said.

"The investigation revealed that Patel and his wife Bhanuben had acquired the liquor license for their Daman-based firm 'Sai Wines' by creating forged partnership deeds and other documents as well as without the consent of Daman excise authorities," as per the chargesheet.

Patel had floated many firms to "procure large quantity of liquor from various distilleries and traders of Daman so as to smuggle that stock illegally into Gujarat," as per the ED.

During a search operation conducted last year, the agency had seized liquor worth Rs 2.5 crore stored in an illegal godown in Daman.

As per the probe, Patel had deposited cash worth Rs 411 crore in 16 bank accounts of his various firms, of which Rs 98 crore was deposited in the bank accounts of Sai Wines during 2010-11 to 2016-17.

During the course of investigation, the ED seized three high-end luxury cars worth Rs 2 crore besides Rs 71 lakh cash. The agency had also attached 37 immovable properties worth Rs 3.34 crore, located in Daman and Gujarat.