A female employee at billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi’s firm moved the Bombay High Court on Monday contesting her arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the Punjab National Bank scam. In her petition, Kavita Mankikar alleged that the investigating agency arrested her at 8 pm on February 20 despite the law stating that a woman cannot be taken into custody after sunset, PTI reported.
Businessmen Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi have been accused of allegedly cheating the Punjab National Bank of Rs 12,700 crore.
Mankikar was arrested along with four others including Firestar International President (Finance) Vipul Ambani and Nakshatra Group Chief Financial Officer Kapil Khandelwal. Mankikar was Modi’s executive assistant and authorised signatory of three of his group firms – Diamond R US, Stellar Diamond and Solar Exports. The CBI had accused Mankikar of fraudulently signing the applications for issuance of Letters of Undertaking.
“The petition seeks the High Court to hold the petitioner’s [Mankikar] arrest as illegal and unconstitutional as it was done in gross violation of the provisions of law,” her lawyer Vijay Agarwal said. She has been remanded to CBI custody until March 12.
Meanwhile, the investigating agency is questioning Punjab National Bank General Manager (Treasury) SK Chand in connection with the fraud, PTI reported on Monday.
A special court has also remanded four officials connected with Modi and Choksi to CBI custody until March 17. The officials include former Assistant General Manager of Firestar International Limited Manish K Bosamiya and the company’s former Finance Manager Miten Anil Pandya. The two accused were arrested for their alleged role in the preparation of applications for fraudulent Letters of Undertakings submitted to Punjab National Bank.
The CBI also arrested auditor Sanjay Rambhia and Aniyath Shiv Raman Nair, the former director of Choksi’s Gili India, on Sunday, PTI reported.
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