The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday launched search operations at several locations across Mumbai as part of its ongoing investigation into the multi-crore Mithi River desilting scam, according to sources within the agency.

The raids are linked to alleged financial irregularities and corruption surrounding the river’s desilting and cleanup project—an initiative that was supposed to mitigate flooding risks and improve environmental conditions in one of the city’s most vulnerable zones.

A senior ED official described the case as a troubling example of how large-scale public infrastructure projects, when poorly monitored, can become fertile ground for systemic corruption. “Instead of improving the city’s resilience to flooding, the project may have served as a cash cow for a nexus of contractors and officials,” the source said.