The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday conducted searches at 12 locations in Maharashtra in connection with the investigation into the alleged corruption case against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, The Indian Express reported.

The CBI conducted the searches in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Sangli and Ahmednagar, among other places. The agency also reportedly searched the premises of a few police officers and alleged middlemen.

“The raids were concluded late last night and certain incriminating documents have been recovered which are being studied,” The Economic Times quoted an unnamed official as saying.

The CBI conducted the raids three days before the Supreme Court hearing of Deshmukh’s petition requesting a fair investigation in the case.

On July 22, the Bombay High Court had refused to quash the FIR against the Nationalist Congress Party leader after the CBI argued that his petition did not raise a question of law.

Allegations against Deshmukh

On March 20, former Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh accused Deshmukh of extorting money from bars, restaurants and hookah parlours in Mumbai. In his letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Singh wrote that suspended police officer Sachin Vaze told him that Deshmukh had asked him to collect Rs 100 crore every month through illegal channels.

Though Deshmukh has constantly denied any impropriety, he resigned from the state Cabinet on April 5 after the Bombay High Court directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary inquiry into allegations against him. On April 8, the Supreme Court had dismissed the Maharashtra government and Deshmukh’s petitions to cancel the CBI inquiry against him.

The CBI had then filed an FIR against Deshmukh on April 24 in connection with the corruption case.

On May 11, the Enforcement Directorate also filed a money laundering case against the Nationalist Congress Party leader based on the FIR filed by the CBI. The ED has arrested Deshmukh’s private secretary Sanjeev Palande and private assistant Kundan Shinde in connection with the case.

In its remand application, the agency said that more than Rs 4 crore collected from bar owners between December and February was routed to Deshmukh’s charitable trust in Nagpur through four shell companies in Delhi.