High Court allows Mehul Choksi to withdraw plea against non-bailable warrant
Aggarwal further explained that the NBW was executed following a request by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Consequently, Choksi decided to seek alternative legal remedies. "On the request of the CBI, the warrant was executed. I will therefore take my appropriate remedy under law," Aggarwal submitted.The prosecution, represented by advocates Amit Munde and A Limousine for the CBI, and Aayush Kedia for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), clarified that NBWs were issued in separate cases by the same Mumbai court. These warrants were related to Choksi's failure to return to India to face investigation and trial in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam.advertisementThe bench questioned Aggarwal on the timing of the challenge to the impugned order, which dated back to 2019, asking, "What is the explanation for not coming before that?" Aggarwal reiterated that the warrant was executed at the CBI's request, prompting the decision to pursue new legal avenues.The PNB scam involves allegations of financial misconduct against Choksi, prime accused Nirav Modi's maternal uncle, who is accused of fraud and conspiracy to cheat the bank.The ED has alleged that Choksi's companies defrauded PNB and laundered the proceeds through overseas entities. These actions allegedly led to a significant financial losses to the bank.In related developments, a separate plea by Choksi's co-accused, which seeks to name a witness as an accused, is scheduled for a hearing next month. Choksi, the promoter of the Gitanjali Group of Companies, holds significant roles in Gitanjali Gems Ltd, Gili India Ltd, and Nakshatra Brands Limited.- EndsMust Watch
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CBI lays a trap at Jammu police station to catch sub-inspector, he gives agency the slip
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India Today
an hour ago
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Who is Rawatpura Sarkar? Spiritual leader in news after CBI arrests in bribery case
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ED attaches assets worth Rs 34 crore of Kannada actor Ranya Rao in gold-smuggling case, calls it 'well-structured operation'
The ED said in a statement that the 'possible' involvement of some public servants in facilitating Rao's illicit activities is under scrutiny as the actor was 'assisted' at the airport upon her arrival in India. read more The Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged on Friday that Kannada actor Ranya Rao 'orchestrated' a 'well-structured' operation with her associates for smuggling gold into India as it attached her assets worth more than Rs 34 crore as part of a money-laundering investigation. Harshavardini Ranya alias Ranya Rao (32) was arrested by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) from Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport on March 3 after she landed from Dubai. DRI officials recovered 14.2 kg of gold bars worth Rs 12.56 crore from her possession. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The ED said in a statement that the 'possible' involvement of some public servants in facilitating Rao's illicit activities is under scrutiny as the actor was 'assisted' at the airport upon her arrival in India. The federal probe agency said a provisional order was issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach Rao's house in Victoria Layout and a plot located in Arkavathi Layout in Bengaluru, an industrial land in Tumkur and an agricultural land in Anekal taluk. These assets have a combined fair market value of Rs 34.12 crore, it said. A PMLA case was filed against Rao and some others after taking cognisance of a March CBI FIR and a DRI complaint about a larger gold-smuggling racket in India. The CBI FIR also pertained to the interception of two foreign nationals — an Omani and a UAE citizen — at the Mumbai International Airport with 21.28 kg of smuggled foreign-origin gold valued at Rs 18.92 crore. The actor's 'involvement' in generating, possessing and circulating proceeds of crime was further 'corroborated' by her digital footprint, including invoices, export declarations, foreign-remittance records and recorded chats, establishing her 'active role' in the smuggling syndicate, the ED claimed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Ranya Rao, in active collusion with Tarun Konduru Raju and others, orchestrated a well-structured operation for smuggling gold into India. 'Gold was procured from suppliers based in Dubai, Uganda and other jurisdictions, and payments were made through hawala channels in cash, thereby circumventing legal financial systems,' the agency said. It claimed that false customs declarations were filed in Dubai, fraudulently declaring the destination of gold shipments as Switzerland or the United States, while the actual travel of the gold smugglers was to India. It was found that dual sets of travel documents were used — one for the declared export destination and the other for their actual arrival in India — to evade scrutiny and facilitate smuggling through Indian airports, the ED said. The smuggled gold was then sold within India for cash to jewellers and other local entities, and the proceeds were subsequently laundered through 'hawala' remittances abroad to finance repeat consignments for smuggling more gold into India, the agency has found. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It said 'evidence' retrieved from seized mobile phones and a forensic extraction of digital devices has revealed 'detailed coordination' with foreign gold suppliers, 'hawala' operators and Dubai-based customs agents. Rao, according to the agency, denied knowledge of the seized gold and other assets during the recording of her statement by the ED, but her claims were 'contradictory' when compared with the seized physical evidence, including customs documents bearing her name, travel and purchase records, and digital conversations. The total proceeds of crime identified by the ED in the case stands at Rs 55.62 crore. This includes about Rs 38.32 crore identified through an analysis of the evidence gathered during the course of the investigation like foreign invoices, customs declarations and hawala-linked remittances, according to the agency. The attachment, the ED said, was carried out to prevent concealment or alienation of the tainted assets and secure the proceeds of crime even as it added that the investigation in the case is in progress, including identifying other individuals involved in the syndicate. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A search of Rao's residence, post her arrest, unearthed an 'unaccounted' amount of Rs 2.67 crore in cash and gold jewellery worth Rs 2.06 crore.
