Actor Dino Morea questioned and arrested by Mumbai Police in Mithi River cleanup case

Actor Dino Morea has been taken into custody by the Mumbai Police Economic Offences Wing following questioning over alleged financial irregularities in the Mithi River desilting project. Police arrested the actor on October 2 after roughly eight hours of questioning at his home in Bandra, following an earlier round of questioning in May 2025 alongside his brother Santino Rocco Morea.

The Investigation

Investigators stated that fresh summons and the recent action followed leads from phone records showing contact with people linked to the case. The Morea brothers and Punita Kadam serve as directors in a private firm named UBO Ridez Private Limited, and authorities are currently verifying financial transactions between the Kadams and Santino Rocco Morea. The probe also examines how Ketan Kadam's desilting firm, Woder India LLP, won civic contracts. Ketan Kadam was arrested on May 7 and is among 13 people booked for allegedly causing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation a loss of sixty-five point five four crore rupees through inflated tenders and corrupt practices. The Economic Offences Wing has also arrested Jayesh Joshi, associated with Virgo Specialties Private Limited.

Tender Details

According to police claims, civic officials travelled to Kochi in October 2020 to buy equipment from Matprop Technical Services Private Limited before floating tenders whose machine specifications matched that equipment. Contractors approaching Matprop were allegedly sent to Joshi and Ketan Kadam to rent the equipment at high rates rather than buy it, while civic records were reportedly fudged to overstate the quantity of silt removed to benefit contractor payouts. The Enforcement Directorate also previously searched the actor's residence as part of the broader investigation.

Context

Municipal corporation desilting contracts in large cities involve major public funds and require strict oversight to prevent financial fraud during monsoon flood prevention work. Economic wings of police forces routinely investigate cases where municipal tenders are manipulated through rigged specifications and inflated billing.