Rs 29-bn Rotomac case: CBI questions former Bank of Baroda CMD, 5 others

Besides M D Mallya, former executive directors V Santhanaraman and R K Bakshi were among those questioned by the agency

The CBI has questioned six former senior officials of Bank of Baroda, including its former Chairman-cum- Managing Director (CMD) M D Mallya, in connection with Rs 29.19-billion alleged loan fraud by Rotomac, officials said here.

Besides Mallya, former executive directors V Santhanaraman and R K Bakshi were among those questioned by the agency, they said.

The owner of Rotomac Global Pvt. Ltd., Vikram Kothari, was arrested by the CBI and was now in judicial custody.

The case relates bank loans worth Rs 29.19 billion from 2008 onwards to Rotomac Global Pvt. Ltd. by a consortium of seven nationalised banks, the CBI FIR has alleged.

The amount swelled to Rs 3,695 crore, including the accrued interest, because of repeated defaults on payment, the officials said.

The CBI had initiated the action on the complaint of Bank of Baroda, which was a member of consortium led by Bank of India, which had approached the agency fearing that Kothari might flee the country like jewellery designer Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi.

The principal exposure of the banks regarding the loan is Bank of India Rs 7.54 billion, Bank of Baroda Rs 4.56 billion, Overseas Bank of India Rs 7.7 billion, Union Bank of India Rs 4.58 billion, Allahabad Bank Rs 3.3 billion, Bank of Maharashtra Rs 498 million and Oriental Bank of Commerce Rs 974 million, the officials said.

Vikram Kothari, his wife Sadhana, and son Rahul were named in the FIR, they said.