PNB fraud: ED seizes Rs 25 crore in assets

During the searches that were conducted in 21 locations in connection with the PNB fraud case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized Rs 25 crore. This is in addition to the previous seizures of Rs 5,649 crore.

Searches were carried out in 21 new locations at Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand by the agency. The searches would continue, ED officials said.

The ED will now record the statements of the Dinesh Dubey, who had claimed that he was asked to resign as an independent director of the Allahabad Bank after he raised objections to a proposal of a Rs 50 crore loan to Gitanjali Gems. This company is owned by Mehul Choksi, the uncle of diamond merchant, Nirav Modi against who the CBI has registered two cases.

The Central Bureau of Investigation which had accused the bank of not being entirely truthful also arrested a retired deputy general manager of the bank, Gokulnath Shetty and two others.

The others to be arrested are Manoj Kharat, the single window operator and Hemant Bhat, an authorised signatory of the Nirav Modi group of firms.

Meanwhile raids continued by the Enforcement Directorate at Gitanjali stores in Durgapur and Patna. The ED is probing the trail of funds. Meanwhile the CBI is set to question more employees of PNB.

In its FIR, the CBI named Shetty and Kharat and accused them being in connivance with accused companies and directors. The FIR said that these persons defrauded PNB to the tune of Rs 4,886.72 crore.

Shetty and Kharat deliberately omitted making entries of LoUs issued on behalf of Choksi's companies in the Core Banking System (CBS) of the bank to avoid detection, the FIR stated.

OneIndia News