Thaindian News

Jalgaon (Maharashtra), March 11 (IANS) Former Maharashtra housing minister Suresh Jain was Sunday remanded to police custody by a sessions court here after his arrest in connection with a housing society scam, police said.

“Jain was arrested early Sunday in connection with the (2006) Gharkul housing scheme scam. He has been remanded to police custody till March 19,” an officer from Jalgaon City Police Station told IANS.

Jain, who was a minister during the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party rule in the 1990s, was arrested for allegedly favouring a builder and indulging in irregularities to the tune of Rs.29 crore, police said.

Jain joined the Nationalist Congress Party in 2003 but is now back with the Shiv Sena.

As per initial police reports, Jain had given the contract of building tenements to Khandesh Builders by way of floating tenders even before the land was acquired for the housing scheme.

An official complaint against Jain was registered by the then municipal commissioner of Jalgaon Pravin Gedam.

Jain, along with district guardian minister Gulabrao Deokar, suspected to be a part of the scam, were questioned by police.

Police sources said that they arrested Jain after they seized some case-related documents from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) office in Mumbai.

Activist Anna Hazare welcomed the development, saying that Jain was the real culprit and that arresting him was vital for the case. He said that Deokar should also been arrested.

Jain in 2003 addressed a press conference in which he alleged that Hazare had misappropriated funds of the Sant Yadavbaba Shikshan Prasarak Mandal, with which the activist was associated.

Hazare filed a defamation case against Jain. The case is being heard by a Pune judicial magistrate.