Industrialist Pawan Ruia arrested by West Bengal CID after Indian Railways complaint
Goods worth Rs 50 crore were allegedly stored at the Ruia-owned Jessop company premises and were reported stolen.
Businessman Pawan Ruia was arrested on Saturday at his residence in New Delhi by the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department, based on a complaint filed by Indian Railways. Indian Railways had alleged that their goods, worth Rs 50 crore, were stored at the alleged Ruia Group-owned Jessop factory and were reportedly stolen, The Hindu reported.
The 57-year-old Ruia Group chairperson had reportedly been summoned four times by the investigating agency in connection with a case registered at West Bengal’s Dum Dum police station. They accused him of non-cooperation. He is being taken to Kolkata for questioning.
A team from Indian Railways, a client of Jessop & Co, had visited the company’s 63-acre premises in Kolkata earlier this year and found their goods missing. An FIR under Sections 435, 436 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code was lodged after recurring fires were reported at the Jessop premises, which former workers said was a consequence of foul play. This development prompted the West Bengal government to order an investigation into the matter.
In 2003, the Ruia Group led by Pawan Kumar Ruia had acquired Jessop & Co, which made railway wagons, NDTV reported. In 2014, its Kolkata factory premises had shut down indefinitely. The industrialist had unsuccessfully moved the Calcutta High Court in an attempt to stay proceedings against him. He had claimed to have no links with the Jessop company.