Petition in Supreme Court seeks SIT inquiry in Punjab National Bank scam
The petitioner, Vaibhav Khuraniya, said Gitanjali Gems and its owner Mehul Choksi cheated him of Rs 80 lakh.
A petition filed in the Supreme Court on Monday sought an inquiry by a Special Investigation Team in the Punjab National Bank scam, ANI reported.
The petitioner, Vaibhav Khuraniya, said Gitanjali Gems and its owner Mehul Choksi cheated him of Rs 80 lakh. “We had invested in Gitanjali and met Mehul Choksi in the process,” Khuraniya said. He added that within two months of opening a new store, he realised that Gitanjali Gems was in “bad shape”, and his store was closed in four months. “The company duped us and stole our stock worth Rs 80 lakh.”
Billionaire jewellery designers Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi are among those booked for fraud and accused of cheating Punjab National Bank in a Rs 11,380-crore scam. The scam involved bank officials allegedly handing out fake Letters of Understanding on behalf of companies associated with Modi, which allowed him to access massive foreign exchange loans that were completely unsecured.
The drama had begun in 2013 & fraud started back in 2011-12. We had informed CBI, SEBI, EOW, ED, had they been alert on time he wouldn't have escaped. However we had this intuition that he is bribing his way out & matter isn't reaching to higher authority: Petitioner #PNBFraud pic.twitter.com/X5rso6E6nc
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) February 19, 2018
Khuraniya added that he had informed the Economic Offences Wing, the Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate and the Securities and Exchange Board of India but they were “not alert”.
He had also complained to the police but since no action was taken, he then approached a court, following which a First Information report was registered, Khuraniya said. “Court proceedings are underway. Amid all this, Choksi filed [a] notice in the High Court to quash the FIR,” Khuraniya said. “So he was provided an interim protection and [he] fled.”
The Central Bureau of Investigation had on Friday sought the Interpol’s help to locate Modi, his wife Ami Modi, brother Nishal Modi and uncle Choksi while the Ministry of External Affairs suspended the validity of the passports Modi and Choksi for four weeks. The CBI also filed a fresh FIR against Choksi and Gitanjali Gems, the company he promoted.