Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha Raut has been summoned for questioning by the Enforcement Department in the PMC bank fraud case. She has to meet the officials on December 29 at the agency’s Mumbai office. The agency is investigating alleged financial transactions between Varsha Raut and Pravin Raut, who is under arrest in the case, sources said.

This is the third time she has been summoned in the case, which involves an alleged loan fraud in the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank.

She had skipped the two earlier summons on health grounds. She was asked to join the probe on December 11.

The Shiv Sena — which rules Maharahtra in alliance with the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party — has said the matter is politically motivated and the Central teams are targeting them unfairly.  

Eknath Khadse, who changed camp from the BJP to NCP, has also been summoned by the ED for questioning on December 30 in connection with a money laundering case.

Without elaborating, Mr Raut, in a Hindi tweet yesterday, said, “Come, let’s see who has the more strength. Step out without fear my friends.”

Asked about the matter by reporters, the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis said he was not a “spokesperson of the ED”.

“Tell them not to worry. If it is a good job, go ahead. Why be afraid? Sanjay Raut tweets like this every day. They have many lions. They talk like everyday, Mr Fadnavis said.

The case dates back from October last year and investigations are on regarading alleged irregularities in certain loan accounts of the bank.

The chief of these are the loans given to financially stressed real estate player Housing Development & Infrastructure or HDIL.

Its promoters Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan and his son Sarang Wadhawan, its former chairman Waryam Singh and ex-managing director Joy Thomas are being investigated by the agency.