Fresh FIR against Gitanjali Group


Team Udayavani, Feb 16, 2018, 2:13 PM IST

New Delhi: The CBI on Friday registered a fresh FIR against the Gitanjali Group promoted by Mehul Choksi, uncle of billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi, following a complaint from Punjab National Bank, and also approached the Interpol to locate them.

Officials said the fresh FIR was based on a complaint from the PNB dated February 13. According to it, the loss to PNB was over Rs 4,886 crore, they said. The agency on Friday also carried out searches on the premises of the Gitanjali Group at 20 places in Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Coimbatore.

“Searches are at locations belonging to Gitanjali group of Mehul Choksy, other directors of the accused companies and other group factories and plants including offices, factories and residences,” a CBI spokesperson said here on Friday. The officials also said the central agency approached the Interpol with a request for issuing Diffusion Notice which was aimed at locating an individual.

“This (diffusion) is less formal than a notice but is also used to request the arrest or location of an individual or additional information in relation to a police investigation. A diffusion is circulated directly by an NCB (CBI in this case) to the member countries of their choice, or to the entire INTERPOL membership and is simultaneously recorded in Interpolâs Information System,” the website of Interpol says.

The CBI was confident about getting a location of Modi and his family by Friday, they said. Modi, who was claimed to have carried out fraudulent transactions worth over Rs 11,400 crore in PNB, had left the country in the first week of January. The 46-year old, who holds an Indian passport, left India on January 1, while his brother Nishal, a Belgian citizen, departed from the country on same day.

However, whether they travelled together has to be probed, they said. Modi’s wife Ami, a US citizen, left on January 6 and Mehul Choksi left on January 4, the officials said. The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate have approached the government seeking revocation of passports of Modi and Choksi.

The billionaire diamond merchant, a regular on the lists of rich and famous Indians since 2013, was booked by the CBI, along with wife, brother and Choksi on January 31, for cheating the state-run PNB to the tune of Rs 280 crore.

The bank again approached the CBI within a fortnight of the first complaint giving details of more transactions which were over Rs 11,400 crore. The question as to why the PNB did not send a complaint to the CBI and decided to give it in tranches is also under the scanner of the agency, they said.

The bank has claimed in three complaints to the CBI that so far it has detected 150 Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) which were fraudulently issued by its officials in connivance with Modi and the other accused in the case, the officials said. An LoU is a letter of comfort issued by one bank to branches of other banks, based on which foreign branches offer credit to buyers.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

FSSAI directs online platforms to deliver food items with minimum 45 day shelf life

Maharashtra Elections | PM Modi has eliminated terrorism, Naxalism; Article 370 not coming back: Amit Shah

India successfully test-fires long-range cruise missile

COP29: UN climate chief calls for urgent climate action to counter economic fallout, inflation

Time to make changes in ‘land grabber’ Waqf Board, says Amit Shah at Jharkhand rally

Cong releases manifesto for J’khand polls, promises caste-based census, free power

35 killed, 43 injured as driver hits crowd in Chinese city

Related Articles More

FSSAI directs online platforms to deliver food items with minimum 45 day shelf life

Maharashtra Elections | PM Modi has eliminated terrorism, Naxalism; Article 370 not coming back: Amit Shah

Ayodhya: Security beefed up around Ram Temple after ‘threat’ by pro-Khalistan leader Pannun

India successfully test-fires long-range cruise missile

Man accidentally steps onto fellow rail passenger’s bag containing matchboxes, friction causes fire in coach

MUST WATCH

Punganur Cow

Rangoli design

Jagadeesh Nagaraj Kudupali Audio Viral

Gho Pooja in Deepavali Festival

Melukote Deepavali


Latest Additions

FSSAI directs online platforms to deliver food items with minimum 45 day shelf life

Maharashtra Elections | PM Modi has eliminated terrorism, Naxalism; Article 370 not coming back: Amit Shah

Ayodhya: Security beefed up around Ram Temple after ‘threat’ by pro-Khalistan leader Pannun

India successfully test-fires long-range cruise missile

Blind T20 WC: Indian team eyes clearance from MHA, MEA; Sports Ministry clears travel to Pakistan

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.