MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered an enforcement case information report (ECIR) against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for allegedly obtaining illegal gratification, 

The ECIR has been filed in connection to the allegations of accepting bribery made by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, although the agency has not specified the amount of illegal gratification in its ECIR.

The ED's ECIR comes after a corruption case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Deshmukh on April 24, after it conducted a preliminary inquiry on the orders of the Bombay High Court on several petitions petition including one by Singh.

Singh, in an eight-page letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, sent on March 20 had alleged that Deshmukh asked now sacked API Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore every month, including Rs 40 to 50 crore from 1,750 bars and restaurants in Mumbai.

The CBI had said that Deshmukh used his official position to obtain undue advantage and had also influenced the transfers and postings in the Mumbai Police. CBI is also investigating the allegations of Rs 100 crore being collected as extortion from bars and restaurants every month on the instructions of Deshmukh. 

CBI has charged Deshmukh under section 7 of the amended Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) 2018, along with section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Senior ED officials said that Deshmukh will be now summoned to appear before soon keeping in mind the situations prevailing due to the pandemic.