National
CBI quizzes PNB officials, issues LOCs against 10 firm executives (Lead)
New Delhi, Feb 26 (IANS) The CBI on Monday said it questioned Punjab National Bank (PNB) Executive Director K.V. Brahmaji Rao, two General Managers and a retired official in connection with its probe into the Rs 11,300 crore fraud.
The Income Tax Department also said it had attached 66 more bank accounts related to accused Mehul Choksi of the Gitanjali Group.
“After Friday, 66 more bank accounts of the group have been attached with a total credit balance of Rs 80.07 crore,” an IT Department official told IANS.
A Central Bureau of Investigation official said the agency questioned Rao for the third consecutive day at its Mumbai branch. On Sunday, too, Rao was questioned for over eight hours. He was quizzed along with PNB Managing Director-cum-CEO Sunil Mehta on Saturday.
The others quizzed were three General Manager-rank officials of the PNB Treasury Division and International Banking Division, including a retired official.
An informed source said the CBI had issued more than 10 Look out Circulars (LOCs) against executives of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi’s Gitanjali Group who have not joined the probe yet.
According to CBI officials, the General Manager of the International Banking Division used to get daily reports on all credits and debits of the bank’s NOSTRO accounts.
The source said the two senior PNB officials were questioned why daily reports were not tallied to find the difference in amounts.
NOSTRO is a system wherein one bank keeps money at another bank and both need to maintain records of debited and credited amount done by one bank on behalf of the other.
According to the source, the check was either deliberately avoided or attention was not given and that is why the scam went unnoticed and undetected from 2011 to 2017.
The source said the CBI also carried out searches at the Mumbai office of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas last week.
“During searches at Nirav Modi’s office and premises, the agency seized a few documents. On the basis of those, the CBI carried out searches at the law firm and collected more documents.”
The source said the firm was involved in a banking assignment from Modi a few weeks before the scam was uncovered. The firm had never dealt with Nirav Modi or his companies prior to this, the source said.
CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said: “Investigation is underway. CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma has directed probe officers to take all steps to ensure the investigations are concluded within given time frame.”
“He (Verma) directed officers not to spare anyone found involved in these scams,” Dayal added.
The CBI had filed the first FIR in the scam on February 14 against Nirav Modi, his wife Ami, brother Nishal, uncle Mehul Choksi and his firms Diamond R US, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamond.
Nirav Modi, his family and Choksi left the country in early January. The FIR mentions fraud of around Rs 6,400 crore.
The CBI filed the second FIR on February 15 for Rs 4,886.72 crore fraud against the Gitanjali group headed by Choksi.
The source said the CBI had written to the Chief Vigilance Officers of five banks to share details of money credited to Nostro accounts of PNB on receiving Letters of Undertaking and Foreign Letters of Credit, which were then withdrawn by Nirav and Choksi’s group as buyers’ credit.
The agency has till date arrested 12 persons in the case.
The I-T official said the department had carried out searches at four locations of Nirav Modi in Mumbai on Thursday.
“At one location, 173 paintings and art works by eminent artists have been placed under Prohibitory Orders as the process of their valuation is underway by experts from the JJ School of Art, Mumbai,” the official added.
–IANS
aks/tsb/bg
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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