Ruia sent to 14-day police custody, fresh charges slapped

Ruia Group chairman Pawan Ruia was today remanded in 14 days' police custody and fresh charges including of criminal conspiracy slapped on him, a day after he was arrested by the West Bengal CID in connection with a complaint of theft lodged by the railways.
A Barrackpore court in North 24-Parganas district passed the order when the industrialist was produced in the court this afternoon.
Submitting that it required sufficient time to question the industrialist, the CID had appealed for a full-term custody, which was granted by the court.
Ruia, arrested by the CID from his New Delhi residence yesterday, was booked under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 406 (Punishment for criminal breach of trust) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant).

Today, fresh charges under IPC 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc) 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) and 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) were slapped on Ruia.
The railways had filed an FIR with the Dum Dum police station after an inspection team found several equipment and coaches worth Rs 50 crore missing from the Jessop factory at Dum Dum where a fire had broken out on October 17.

The Ruia Group chairman was summoned by the CID four times in the past in connection with its probe into the theft and fires at the Jessop factory, but each time he had failed to appear.

A Special Investigating Team was formed by the CID to probe the theft.
Ruia had moved the Calcutta High Court, which refused to stay proceedings against him in connection with the case filed by the CID following the fire and directed him to cooperate in the investigation.
Ruia had moved the high court seeking quashing of the case filed against him by CID, claiming he is not the chairman of Jessop and he is neither the director nor a shareholder, or an occupier of Jessop and Co Ltd or any of its premises.
Former workers of the factory had alleged that the fire was part of a "conspiracy by a third party" following which the West Bengal government ordered a CID probe into the incident.