Guj-based firm's director sent to judicial custody in money

A Gujarat-based pharma firm's director was today sent to judicial custody in a money laundering case related to an alleged bank fraud of over Rs 5,000 crore.
Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Pandey sent Rajbhushan Omprakash Dixit to judicial custody after special public prosecutor Nitesh Rana, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), said his further custodial interrogation was not required.
Rana moved an application seeking 14 days judicial custody for the accused which was allowed by the court.
This is the third arrest in the case. The agency had earlier this month arrested a former Director of Andhra Bank, Anup Prakash Garg, and a Delhi-based businessman Gagan Dhawan in November last year.

While Garg is currently in judicial custody, Dhawan was granted bail on January 4. All three have been arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
They were named as accused in the cases by the ED and the CBI.

The ED registered a money laundering case in this instance after taking cognisance of an earlier CBI FIR.
The CBI had booked Sterling Biotech, its directors Chetan Jayantilal Sandesara, Dipti Chetan Sandesara, Rajbhushan Omprakash Dixit, Nitin Jayantilal Sandesara and Vilas Joshi, chartered accountant Hemant Hathi, Garg and some unidentified persons in connection with the alleged bank fraud case.
It had alleged that the company had taken loans of over Rs 5,000 crore from a consortium led by Andhra Bank which had turned into non-performing assets.

The FIR had also alleged that the total pending dues of the group companies were Rs 5,383 crore as on December 31, 2016.