PNB scam: CBI names Mehul Choksi as 'wanted'

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday filed the second chargesheet in connection with the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case and named main accused Nirav Modi's uncle Mehul Choksi as 'wanted'.

The CBI in its 12000 page chargesheet charged 15 accused persons and three firms under sections 409, 420, 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

On Tuesday, the CBI had named three companies and 22 individuals in its first chargesheet and framed charges under section 120B, read with Sections 409 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant provisions of Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.

The names included Nirav Modi, his brother Nishal Modi, three companies - Diamond R US, Solar Exports, Stellar Diamond and seven employees of these companies Hemant Bhat, Vipul Ambani, Arjun Patil, Kavita Mankikar, Miten Pandya, Manish Bosamiya, and Subhash Parab.

Chartered accountant Sanjay Kumar Rambhia was also named.

The chargesheet states that Rs. 6498.20 crores amount of Letters Of Undertaking (LoUs) were issued for these firms between 2011 to 2017.

For the unversed, the PNB detected the multi-crore scam, wherein Diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle cum business partner Mehul Choksi had allegedly cheated the bank to the tune of Rs. 114 billion, with the purported involvement of a few employees of the bank.

The scam, which reportedly began in 2011, was detected in the third week of January this year, after which the PNB officials reported it to the concerned agencies.

The ED had registered the money laundering case against Nirav Modi and others on the basis of a CBI FIR.

Currently, the probe agencies are investigating the matter and have also seized many properties of Modi and Choksi.