Mumbai: Bollywood actor Dino Morea and his brother were summoned and questioned by the Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Monday in connection with the alleged Rs 65-crore scam involving the desilting and cleaning of the Mithi River — a vital waterway crucial to Mumbai’s flood mitigation system.

According to Free Press Journal, sources within the EOW confirmed that Morea was called in after investigators reportedly uncovered multiple phone conversations between him, his brother Santino Morea, and one of the key accused, Ketan Kadam. The nature and intent of these calls are currently under scrutiny.

All about the scam

The scam revolves around suspected irregularities in the renting of dredging and silt-removal machinery by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Investigators allege that Kadam, along with Jay Joshi, grossly overcharged the BMC for equipment sourced from Kochi-based Matprop Technical Services Pvt. Ltd. Officials believe the inflated charges were made possible with the collusion of staff from the company and certain officers from the BMC’s Storm Water Drains (SWD) department.

Dino Morea’s involvement surfaced during the ongoing probe, although authorities have not yet accused him of any wrongdoing. His questioning forms part of a broader investigation into the roles played by various individuals connected to the transaction trail.

Morea, who rose to fame in the early 2000s with films like ‘Raaz’ after debuting in ‘Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi’ in 1999, has acted in over 50 films across Hindi, Tamil and Kannada cinema. Apart from acting, he co-founded a production company, Clockwise Films, and is also known for his advocacy of animal rights.

Currently, he stars in the Netflix web series ‘The Royals,’ which premiered earlier this month. He is also part of the upcoming big-budget comedy ‘Housefull 5,’ directed by Tarun Mansukhani and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film, featuring an ensemble cast including Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt, is scheduled for release on 6 June 2025.