The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted search operations from 8 to 9 January 2025, at seven locations in Chandrapur and Nagpur in connection with a financial fraud case. The search was directed at properties linked to the developers of a safari fund-raising company in a tiger reserve in Maharashtra.
These raids were conducted at the premises of Abhishek Vinodkumar Thakur, Rohit Vinodkumar Thakur, and their associated businesses.
The ED started its investigation following an FIR lodged by the Maharashtra Police in Chandrapur under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The case is suspected of financial misconduct involving two men, who are partners in the company M/s Wild Connectivity Solutions (WCS). The investigation focuses on a fraud involving Rs. 12.15 crore, which has impacted the state forest department.
WCS was contracted by Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve under a Service Level Agreement dated December 10, 2021, to manage services such as the collection of entrance fees, and the cost of gypsy rides and guides. The central probe found that between 2020 and 2024, the Thakur brothers misused the agreement to defraud the nature reserve.
During the search, the ED seized goods, including jewelery and coins worth Rs. 1.42 million. Documents and digital evidence related to the fraud were also recovered. The ED reported that WCS directors used illicit funds to acquire personal assets and pay debts linked to their other organizations.
The investigation is ongoing.