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ED attaches 45 Hyderabad properties in MMTC fraud case

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Enforcement-Directorate

The Enforcement Directorate has attached 45 immovable properties worth Rs 363.51 crore of M/s MBS Jewellers Private Limited, M/s MBS Impex Private Limited, Sukesh Gupta, Anurag Gupta, Neetu Gupta, Vandana Gupta and their other group entities on August 26, under provisions of the PMLA, 2002.

According to ED officials, investigation into money laundering was initiated on the basis of FIR registered by the ACB, the CBI against Sukesh Gupta & his companies for defrauding M/s MMTC Limited (a Public Sector Enterprise) in purchase of gold bullion under Buyer’s Credit Scheme. Sukesh Gupta in active connivance with few officials of MMTC Hyderabad, had continuously lifted gold without forex cover & without adequate security deposits. His dues were consistently mis-reported to the MMTC Head Office and without squaring off the existing losses, his firms continued lifting gold from MMTC for their personal gain and thereby caused a loss of public money to the tune of Rs 504.34 crore (including interest up to 31.05.2021 of Rs 277.52 crore) to MMTC. The CBI has filed a charge sheet against Sukesh Gupta & others in 2014.

During ED investigation, it was found that Sukesh Gupta colluded with various officers of the MMTC Hyderabad and painted a wrong picture of his accounts and kept on lifting Gold to carry on its business as usual.

As a result, while MMTC suffered a huge loss, Sukesh Gupta earned huge profits. On the basis of his business profile, he took loans and struck real estate deals and grew his business in the name of various related companies, the ED stated in a release issued on Saturday.

The statement noted,” all through the investigation, the conduct of Sukesh Gupta has been evasive and non-cooperative and he has failed to discharge the burden of proof imposed on him under the PMLA, 2002″.

In another case under FEMA, the ED has adjudicated and levied a penalty of around Rs 222 crore on the MBS Group.

Sukesh Gupta also entered into a OTS (One time settlement) with M/s MMTC in 2019. But as per the latest reports from MMTC, Sukesh Gupta did not deposit any funds and the OTS has failed. The ED has now identified 45 immovable properties belonging to him and his related entities and their directors and has provisionally attached these properties under PMLA on Aug 26 to safeguard the proceeds of crime.

Further investigation is in progress.

Crime

RG Kar tragedy: Calcutta HC not to act on victim’s parents plea for fresh probe till issues clarified

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Kolkata, Dec 24: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday held that it will not act on the petition for a fresh probe in the ghastly rape and murder of a woman junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in August this year unless certain things in the matter are clarified.

As the petition for a fresh probe, filed by the parents of the victim, came up for hearing at the single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, he observed that first there is a need for clarification on whether the ongoing probe in the matter by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the matter is monitored by the Supreme Court or not.

The next date of hearing has been scheduled for January 15 next year and by then the petitioners will have to get clarifications either from the apex court or from any division bench of the Calcutta High Court in the matter.

“There is no problem in hearing the matter. But a clarification is required whether the probe is court-monitored or not,” Justice Ghosh observed.

On Tuesday, the CBI counsel informed Justice Ghosh’s bench that the probe in the matter by the central agency is being monitored by the apex court of the country. However, the counsel for the petitioners refuted that claim by the CBI counsel.

Thereafter Justice Ghosh asked for the clarifications on this claim and counter-claim either from the Supreme Court or a division bench of Calcutta High Court before further hearing in the matter.

Reacting to the observation of the court on Tuesday, the victim’s father told media persons that he would go as far as possible to get justice for his daughter.

“There might be some delay in the process. But we will be waiting with patience. My only aim is to secure justice for my daughter in whatever way possible,” he said.

On December 19, the victim’s parents approached Justice Ghosh’s bench seeking court direction for a fresh probe in the matter. The victim’s parents have claimed that they do not have any faith in the course of the current investigation by the central agency in the matter and hence they want a fresh investigation from the beginning in the matter.

Since the time a special court in Kolkata last week granted default bail to two individuals accused of tampering with the evidence since the CBI was unable to file a supplementary charge sheet against them within 90 days from the day of their arrest, the victim’s parents, as well as the representatives of the state’s medical fraternity, had been accusing the CBI of gross incompetence in the matter.

Those two accused persons were the former principal of R.G. Kar Sandip Ghosh and the former SHO of Tala Police Station Abhijit Mondal. Ghosh is still behind bars because of the pending parallel probe by the CBI against him in the case of financial irregularities at R.G. Kar, while Mondal is already out on bail.

The CBI so far has filed only one charge sheet in the case where civic volunteer Sanjay Roy had been identified as the “sole prime accused” in the rape and murder.

Recently, the victim’s parents have also changed their counsel representing them at the Supreme Court.

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Crime

RG Kar case: CFSL report creates doubts about actual ‘scene of crime’

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Kolkata, Dec 24: A report submitted by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has created doubts over the “scene of the crime” in the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor of state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August.

The body of the victim was spotted at the seminar hall within the hospital premises of R.G. Kar on the morning of August 9, and then first, the Kolkata Police and later the CBI carried out the investigation considering the seminar hall as the “scene of crime”.

However, a report that CFSL has submitted to the central investigating agency has clearly stated that there is no evident sign of scuffle within the seminar room, sources aware of the development said.

In fact, sources said, the CFSL report strengthens the apprehension raised by the section of the medical fraternity in the state since the beginning that the actual “scene of the crime” was someplace else and after the ghastly rape and murder the body was shifted to the seminar hall to mislead future investigation.

The explosive CFSL report on this count surfaced on the day when Calcutta High Court’s single Judge Bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh will hear a petition of the parents of the victim woman doctor seeking a fresh probe in the matter since the beginning.

Sources said that during the initial investigation carried out by Kolkata Police, the investigating cops of city police collected a total of 40 items from the seminar hall where the body of the victim was spotted on August 9.

Later after the Calcutta High Court directed the CBI to take charge of the investigation, several items recovered from the seminar hall were forwarded to CFSL for examination purposes. On August 14, a team of CFSL experts also physically examined the purported scene of the crime, i.e., the seminar hall.

Thereafter based on forensic reports of the items seized and the physical examination of the scene of the crime, CFSL has submitted a report to CBI which has created doubts about the actual scene of crime.

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Crime

Telangana Minister condemns attack on Allu Arjun’s house

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Hyderabad, Dec 23: Telangana’s Minister for Roads and Buildings and Cinematography Komatireddy Venkata Reddy on Monday condemned the attack on the house of Tollywood actor Allu Arjun.

The minister took to ‘X’ to condemn the attack on Allu Arjun’s house in Hyderabad by a group of persons on Sunday over the Sandhya Theatre stampede issue.

“I strongly condemn the attack on the house of film actor Allu Arjun. There is no room for physical attacks in a democracy. No one should act in a way that disrupts peace and order. The matter related to the Sandhya Theatre incident is in court. The law will take its course,” the Minister posted.

Earlier, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy also condemned the attack on the actor’s house. He directed the Director General of Police and City Police Commissioner to take strict action to maintain law and order. He made it clear that no laxity would be tolerated in this regard.

The Chief Minister also asked senior officials to prevent police personnel who are not connected with the investigations into the Sandhya Theatre incident from speaking on the issue.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Vishnu Murthy, was suspended recently following allegations of corruption, Sunday addressed a press conference about the December 4 incident at Sandhya Theatre. He accused Allu Arjun of lacking a basic understanding of the law and also targeted the film industry for criticizing the police department.

Taking serious note of the suspended police official’s action, top officials initiated disciplinary action against him.

Akshansh Yadav, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Central Zone, said in a statement that Vishnu Murthy conducted the press meeting without obtaining prior permission from higher authorities or intimating any senior officer. “This action is a clear violation of disciplinary norms. We are forwarding a report against Sri Vishnu Murthy to the Director General of Police (DGP) for initiating disciplinary action. The DGP’s office will investigate this matter and take necessary action,” he said.

“We reiterate that such actions will not be tolerated, and necessary disciplinary measures will be taken against those who violate the conduct rules,” the DCP said.

Vishnu Murthy was previously working as the DSP Task Force at Nizamabad, and later attached to the DGP Office on allegations and subsequently suspended in October 2024.

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