Actor Dino Morea appeared before the Mumbai Economic Offences Wing on Friday for questioning in an investigation into an alleged multi-crore scam involving desilting work on the Mithi River, according to a report by the Times of India. The questioning took place at the EOW headquarters inside the Mumbai Police commissionerate compound near Crawford Market in south Mumbai.
An EOW officer said Morea had been summoned for questioning but declined to provide further details. Morea and his brother, Santino Morea, had also been questioned last year in connection with the investigation.
The case concerns allegations that contractors, middlemen and several Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation officials connived to cause a loss of Rs 65.5 crore to the civic body. The allegations include failure to carry out desilting work on the Mithi River, submission of fake bills and clearance of those bills.
The investigation also involves financial transactions linked to UBO Ridez, an electric cart company in which Santino Morea was a director, and Vodar India LLP. In May last year, the Moreas submitted their personal bank account records and records of UBO Ridez to investigators, the report said.
A police source had previously said that investigators identified certain financial transactions between UBO Ridez and Vodar India. The two companies operate from the same address in Worli, while Ketan Kadam, one of the two accused persons arrested in the case, is associated with Vodar India. Kadam’s wife is also a director in UBO Ridez, according to the police information cited in the report.
The alleged irregularities relate to one of Mumbai’s key flood-management infrastructure systems. The Mithi River passes through densely developed parts of the city, and desilting contracts are intended to remove accumulated sediment and improve the river’s capacity to carry stormwater. The investigation therefore concerns not only alleged financial wrongdoing but also the implementation and oversight of civic work linked to urban flood risk.
The EOW constituted a special investigation team on March 20, 2024, to probe the alleged scam. The team was led by then joint commissioner Nishith Mishra and Deputy Commissioner of Police Sangramsinh Nishandar. The latest questioning forms part of that ongoing investigation. The report did not provide details of any charges against Morea or indicate whether investigators had reached a conclusion regarding his role.
