What Is Mithi River Scam? Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing Files FIR Suspecting Corruption

Mumbai: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police has raided several locations in the city and registered the first FIR (First Information Report) in the Mithi River desilting scam case. The police have suspected of corruption in the cleaning project. The EOW raided at least 8 locations on Tuesday morning, May 6, including the residences and offices of contractors of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The FIR was registered based on the findings of a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The SIT was formed following concerns raised during the August Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Assembly. BJP MLCs Pravin Darekar and Prasad Lad raised concerns for irregularities in the river desilting project, which promotes the government's in-depth report as the Mid-Day report.

Mumbai Police registered the first FIR in the alleged corruption case related to the Mumbai River Cleaning Project.

In this case, the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) has been conducting raids at 8 to 9 places in Mumbai since morning. The raids include offices and residences of…

— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2025

The FIR was based on the financial fraud by contractors or officials worth Rs 55 crore. A case against five contractors has been registered for signing fake Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), along with three BMC officials named in the FIR.

What Is The Mithi River Scam?

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) from the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is investigating alleged fund misappropriation in the Mithi River desilting project, active for 20 years. The investigation has begun with summons issued to three contractors: Kashiwal from Kailash Construction, Rishabh Jain from Acute Enterprises, and Sher Singh from Mandeep Enterprises. Led by EOW’s joint commissioner V D Mishra, the SIT will examine how Rs 1,300 crore has been spent by the BMC and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on the 17.8 km project since 2005.

This inquiry was prompted by concerns raised in the Maharashtra State Legislative Council last August by BJP MLCs, questioning the project's lack of completion despite significant expenditure. The scope of the investigation includes reviewing desilting and beautification contracts, verifying debris removal processes, and scrutinizing records from both BMC and MMRDA. This marks the EOW's sixth SIT for civil contract irregularities, following prior investigations into various scams. The Mithi River, measuring 17.84 km, was designated for desilting and widening after the severe floods on July 26, 2005, with work allocated between BMC and MMRDA along different sections.

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