Mumbai Court remands PNB auditor Bishnubrata Mishra to CBI custody in connection with #PNBScam

Mumbai, February 3: A special Court in Mumbai on Friday Punjab National Bank's Retired Internal Chief Auditor Bishnubrata Mishra to CBI custody till the 14th of March in connection with the Rs 12,700-crore Punjab National Bank loan fraud case involving billionaire jeweler Nirav Modi.

 

Notably, CBI on Thursday arrested Bishnubrata Mishra, who was responsible for concurrent audit for the period 2011-2015 at PNB Brady House branch. According to CBI officials, the agency recovered documents related to Letter of Undertaking from a chawl in Mumbai as it continued its searches in connection with the 12,000 crore scam.

Earlier, CBI arrested PNB’s internal chief auditor MK Sharma who was allegedly responsible for auditing the systems and practices of PNB’s Brady House branch and report deficiencies to the zonal audit office.

A special court had also issued a non-bailable warrant against Nirav Modi after he failed to honour the three summons issued to him to appear before ED for investigation. On the other side, Income tax department has attached four more properties of Nirav Modi group in the tax evasion case.

However, Nirav Modi refused to join the CBI investigation in this case, citing his business engagements, prompting the agency to issue a stern letter asking him to appear before it next week. Billionaire Diamond Jeweller Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and others are being investigated by multiple probe agencies after a recent complaint by the PNB, that they allegedly cheated the bank to the tune of 11,400 crore rupees.

After the scam was unveiled, the Enforcement Directorate registered an FIR under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Nirav Modi and his Mumbai-based firms Diamonds R Us, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamonds.

CBI also registered fresh FIRs against 10 directors of the Gitanjali Group of companies on charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Prevention of Corruption Act, including Mehul Choksi, the Managing Director of Gitanjali Gems Ltd based in Mumbai's Walkeshwar. The FIR also named two former bank employees said to be directly involved in the fraudulent transactions.

CBI sealed Brady House branch of Punjab National Bank in Mumbai from where the Rs 11,378.68 Crores PNB scam was originated and arrested GM level officer Rajesh Jindal. The Ministry of External Affairs revoked the passports of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. The decision was based on the advice of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which filed money laundering cases against Modi and Choksi.

Importantly, Nirav Modi and his brother Nishal Modi left the country on 1st of January this year. Nirav Modi's wife, an American citizen, left India on 6 January while Mehul Choksi left the country on 4 January. CBI received a complaint from PNB on 29th Jan 2018 and registered the case on 31st January.

On February 14 this year, one of the biggest fraudulent case hit Mumbai where Punjab National Bank reported that it has detected fraudulent and unauthorized transactions in one of its branches in Mumbai. The cumulative fraud amounts to US $1,771.69 billion i.e. Rs 11,378.68 Crores.