Crime

PNB loan fraud: CBI arrests ex-deputy manager, two others

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New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday arrested Gokulnath Shetty, the ex-deputy manager of the bank and two others in connection with the loan fraud at Punjab National Bank.

The other two arrested are SWO Manoj Kharat and authorised signatory of the Nirav Modi Group of Firms Hemant Bhat.

All of them will be produced before the CBI special court in Mumbai on Saturday.

Shetty is a co-accused in the Rs 11,800 crore Punjab National Bank scam, in which billionaire jeweler Nirav Modi is the prime suspect after he and his associates embezzled Rs 280 crore from the bank.

ALSO READ: After the largest ever loan fraud in Indian history, PNB says it has the capacity to recover

CBI teams visited Shetty’s flat at Rustomjee Ozone complex in west Mumbai’s Malad on Thursday and Friday and questioned his family and relatives. They were probing when the flat was purchased, how the payment was made and what the source of funds was. They also wanted to know about his bank accounts, lockers and other assets.

The CBI has alleged in an FIR that accused bank officials Shetty and Kharat, in connivance with accused companies and others, defrauded PNB to the tune of Rs 4,886.70 crore. The agency charged that the accused officials issued fraudulent and unauthorised letters of undertakings in favour of foreign branches of different India-based banks.
The officials omitted entries of Letters of Understanding (LoUs) in the core banking system of the bank issued on behalf of the accused companies to avoid detection, a CBI spokespersn said.

ALSO READ: PNB shares fall 7.8 percent after detecting fraudulent transactions worth $1,771.7 million

The accused in the new FIR include Mehul Choksi (Managing Director Gitanjali Gems), Gokulnath Shetty (retired DGM of PNB), Manoj Kharat (then single window officer of PNB), and companies — Gitanjali Gems Ltd , Gili India Ltd, Nakshatra Brand Ltd, directors of the companies Krishnan Sangameshwaran, Nazura Yash Ajaney, Dinesh Gopaldas Bhatia, Aniyath Shivraman Nair and Dhanesh Vrajlal Sheth.

Meanwhile, as Modi flees the country ,a blame game has began between BJP and the Congress as the ruling party says that the scam took place during UPA (United Progressive Alliance) time. On the other hand, Congress has attacked the BJP by saying that they allowed Modi to leave the country.

 

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