Bollywood actor Dino Morea has once again come under the scanner of the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in connection with the alleged ₹65.54-crore Mithi River desilting scam.
According to reports, Morea was questioned by the EOW on October 2 after investigators summoned him in connection with the ongoing case. Mid-Day reported that he was arrested following nearly eight hours of questioning at his Bandra residence. However, Morea has reportedly denied the arrest reports, saying they were “not true,” while authorities have not publicly provided a detailed confirmation of his arrest.
The case relates to alleged financial irregularities in contracts awarded for desilting the Mithi River, a major stormwater channel in Mumbai. The EOW has alleged that irregularities in the project caused a wrongful loss of ₹65.54 crore to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Why is Dino Morea being questioned?
Morea has been questioned in the case before. In May 2025, both Dino Morea and his brother Santino Rocco Morea appeared before the EOW after investigators examined phone records and financial transactions involving people connected with the investigation.
Investigators have also examined financial transactions involving Morea and Ketan Kadam, one of the key accused in the case. Earlier reports said the EOW was looking into several monetary transactions between Morea and Kadam as part of the wider probe.
The investigation is not limited to the actor. The EOW has booked several people, including contractors and BMC officials, over alleged irregularities in the Mithi River desilting contracts.
What is the alleged Mithi River scam?
The investigation centres on the way contracts for removing silt from the Mithi River were awarded and carried out.
According to the EOW, officials allegedly manipulated tender specifications in a way that favoured particular machinery and suppliers. Investigators have also alleged that contractors were directed towards specific companies for equipment and that machinery was subsequently rented at inflated rates.
Police have also been examining allegations that records relating to the quantity of silt removed were manipulated, potentially increasing the payments made to contractors.
The alleged irregularities resulted in a reported ₹65.54-crore loss to the BMC, according to the EOW’s case.
ED had also searched Dino Morea’s residence
The case has also attracted the attention of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). In 2025, the agency conducted searches at several locations connected to people under investigation, including Morea’s Bandra residence and premises linked to his brother.
The ED’s money-laundering investigation stemmed from the EOW case involving the alleged ₹65.54-crore loss.
Morea was subsequently questioned by the ED as part of that investigation.
What happens next?
The EOW investigation is still continuing, and investigators are examining the financial and business links between the people named in the case.
For now, the reports surrounding Dino Morea’s alleged arrest remain contradictory. While some reports have said that the actor was arrested after questioning, Morea has denied the claim and officials have not publicly detailed the circumstances.
The focus of the investigation remains on the alleged financial irregularities surrounding the Mithi River desilting contracts and the people suspected of being connected to them. Being questioned or named in an investigation does not by itself establish criminal liability, and the allegations remain subject to the ongoing legal process.
