NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), India’s most feared and premier federal investigating agency, finds itself in a peculiar position with the Goa Police doing
precious little on a complaint by it against Ashok Wadia, the controversial owner of Goa’s Casino Pride and a former liquor businessman.
The Enforcement Directorate had filed a complaint and the case was registered by the Panaji Police on December 12, 2024, against the staff of the offshore casino vessel, Casino Pride who had allegedly assaulted Poluri Chenna Kesava Rao, an Assistant Director of ED, and his team. They had also reportedly confined the ED team in a room while they were searching the premises. It was alleged that casino director Ashok Wadia, senior staffers Gopal Ramnath Naik, Arati Raja, and a few others were involved in the assault.
The accused businessman had allegedly threatened to cause injury and physical harm to the
complainant and the ED team and boasted of high political connections in Goa and Delhi to set them right.
In its complaint, the ED also accused the casino director and staff of destroying the evidence that they had collected during their search at the casino in connection with a money laundering case and deleted the electronic evidence.
Subsequently, the Police registered a case U/s 132, 223, 224, 127, 238 r/w 3(5) of BNS. The Panaji Police issued summons to Ashok Waida, Director of Casino Pride, to appear before the Investigating Officer on December 20, 2024, for questioning.
However, tardy progress in the probe indicates that Goa Police is pussyfooting the investigation and nothing substantive has emerged out of it even after a lapse of more than a month. This appears surprising as Goa itself has very stringent anti-money laundering rules notified vide order no. 21/12/2021-HD(G), Home Department, (General) on January 7, 2013.
Rather, it seems that Wadia is cocking a snook at the ED by posting his pictures on social media, gallivanting freely, and promoting Mallika Sherawat’s show, Easha Gupta, another film actress’s Republic Day show at his Casino Pride. This brazen display of scant respect for the law goes against the character of the BJP government at the Centre which has a reputation of showing zero tolerance to such acts.
The strict stance of the Centre was seen in the cases of the arrest of Sanjay Sherpuria or the arrest of associates of Shahjahan Sheikh who had orchestrated the attack on the ED team in Sandeshkhali, and investigations against Santiago Martin, another lottery king. All eyes are now on the newly appointed DGP of Goa Police, Alok Kumar as the Centre and the Home Ministry are reportedly keeping a close tab on the progress in the probe.
By all indications, it is bad optics for the Centre, if such alleged incidents and persons are allowed to get away scot-free, especially when it is directed against its most premier agency, the ED.
It is learnt that ED officers and staffers are feeling let down and demoralisation and resentment in the ranks of the agency have crept in even though the ED leadership has taken up the issue very seriously.