Actor Dino Morea has been arrested by the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in connection with the alleged Mithi river desilting scam.
According to a report by Mid-Day, the actor was taken into custody on October 2 following nearly eight hours of questioning at his Bandra residence.
The case pertains to alleged financial irregularities in contracts awarded for the desilting and rejuvenation of Mumbai’s Mithi river.
Investigators are examining the alleged involvement of contractors, intermediaries and civic officials, including the manner in which the contracts were awarded and payments made.
The EOW has alleged that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) suffered a loss of Rs 65.54 crore in connection with the project.
Morea’s name surfaced during the investigation after police examined phone records that allegedly showed his contact with people linked to the case. The actor and his brother, Santino Morea, had previously been questioned by the EOW in May 2025. Investigators were also examining financial transactions involving Santino’s company, UBO Ridez Private Limited.
According to EOW findings reported in 2025, Rs 18 lakh was transferred in multiple transactions to UBO Ridez, where Santino Morea was a director. The money was allegedly transferred by Ketan Kadam, one of the key accused in the case. Investigators were examining the nature and purpose of these transactions as part of the wider probe.
Kadam, who was arrested in 2025, is associated with Vodar India LLP, a company linked to the desilting contracts. Investigators noted that Vodar India LLP and UBO Ridez operated from the same address near Famous Studio in Worli, Mumbai. Police have also been examining alleged financial links between Kadam and the Morea family.
The investigation has also examined the process through which BMC awarded the desilting contracts. According to the EOW, civic officials had travelled to Kochi to procure specialised desilting equipment, after which tenders were floated with specifications matching the equipment.
Investigators have alleged that contractors were subsequently directed to intermediaries who rented out the machinery at inflated rates.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has separately been investigating the alleged financial irregularities. In 2025, the agency conducted searches at multiple locations in Mumbai and Kochi, including Morea’s residence and premises linked to BMC officials, contractors and intermediaries under scrutiny.
The EOW had formed a Special Investigation Team in 2024 to probe alleged irregularities in the desilting of the river. Several people, including Kadam and Jayesh Joshi, have been arrested in connection with the case, while the investigation into the alleged financial transactions and civic contracts remains ongoing.
