Mumbai: Enforcement Directorate has landed at doorsteps of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s brother-in-law, seized Rs. 6.45 assets of him in a money laundering case.

In a statement, the ED stated it has attached 11 residential flats in the Neelambari project, located in Thane near Mumbai, of Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Private Limited. This property belongs to

Shridhar Madhav Patankar, the brother of Mr Thackeray's wife Rashmi, Mr. Patankar "owns and controls" Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Private Limited, the ED statement said. ED also claimed funds that were allegedly siphoned off in a money laundering case being investigated against a company named Pushpak Bullion were "parked" in the real estate projects of Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Pvt. Ltd.

ED move comes after the Income Tax department has conducted a series of raids on close associates of Uddhav Thackeray.

 Aaditya Thackeray, a minister, and colleague Anil Parab prompting their party Shiv Sena to accuse the BJP at the centre of selectively targeting political opponents.

"The ED (Enforcement Directorate) is acting under political pressure. They are trying to make us bend through central agencies," Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut criticized on Monday.

Non-BJP government is facing similar kind of ED raids. Yesterday, Mamata Banerjee's nephew was questioned by ED. This smacks of a demonic autocracy. Neither Bengal nor Maharashtra will bend, Raut said.

NCP leader Sharad Pawar echoed the statement of Raut. "This is the misuse of central agencies. This is a political vendetta to target the government here. Five to ten years ago, no one even knew what the ED was. Now its ED, ED. The misuse of central agencies that we are seeing... let's see what happens," Mr. Pawar alleged.