Rotomac owner Kothari denies rumours: I am in India and not running away

Following Nirav Modi's footsteps, another defaulter Vikram Kothari, the promoter of Rotomac Pens, has allegedly left the country

Nirav Modi, the 47-year-old billionaire jewellery designer has been the centre of the news for Rs 114-billion banking fraud at Punjab National Bank. Modi left the country on January 1 even before a case was registered against him.

Following Nirav Modi's footsteps, another defaulter Vikram Kothari, the promoter of Rotomac Pens, was alleged to have left the country. Kanpur based Vikram Kothari had taken a loan of more than Rs 8 billion from five state-owned banks — Allahabad Bank, Bank of India, Bank of Baroda (BoB), Indian Overseas Bank, and Union Bank of India. 

However, the promoter denies the rumour of fleeing the country as "baseless". "I am a resident of Kanpur and I will stay in the city," local media reported, according to NDTV.

Kothari, Chairman & MD of popular Rotomac pens, took a loan of Rs 4.85 billion from Mumbai-based Union Bank of India and a loan of Rs 3.52 billion from Kolkata-based Allahabad Bank. There are reports that bank rules were compromised to give loans to Kothari. 

Last year, Bank of Baroda, a consortium of partner declared pen manufacturer Rotomac Global Pvt Ltd as "wilful defaulter," PTI reported. 

Rotomac was declared a wilful defaulter vide an order dated February 27, 2017, passed by an authorised committee, according to the procedure laid down by the Reserve Bank of India.

Kothari's office in Kanpur's City Centre has been locked since past few weeks, Times Now reported. 

Clarifying the issue, Kothari stated, "Banks have declared my company nonperforming asset (NPA), but not a defaulter. The matter is still sub judice with National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT). I have taken loans and will repay it all soon," according to Times of India report.