Anil Ambani offers to 'virtually appear' before ED in FEMA case
New Delhi (PTI): Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani has offered to appear before the Enforcement Directorate through "virtual means" following summons issued to him under the FEMA for Friday.
A statement issued by a spokesperson of the 66-year-old businessman said he has written to the federal probe agency assuring "fully cooperation" in the probe being conducted under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
The agency, according to sources, had asked Ambani to appear in person on Friday and get recorded his statement under the FEMA.
The investigation pertains to the Jaipur-Reengus Highway Project where the ED suspects that funds worth about Rs 100 crore were sent abroad via the hawala route.
The ED has recorded the statement of various persons, including some alleged hawala dealers, following which they decided to summon Ambani, the sources said.
Hawala denotes illegal movement of funds, largely in cash.
The businessman has once been questioned by the ED in a money laundering case linked to an alleged Rs 17,000 crore worth bank fraud against his group companies.
"The matter (FEMA case) is 15 years old, dates to 2010, and concerns issues associated with a road contractor," the statement said.
In 2010, Reliance Infrastructure Ltd. awarded an EPC contract for the construction of the JR Toll Road (Jaipur-Ringus Highway), it said.
"This was a purely domestic contract with no foreign exchange component involved whatsoever.
"The JR Toll Road has been fully completed and, from 2021 onwards has been with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for over past four years," the statement added.
Ambani is not a member of the Board of Reliance Infrastructure.
"He served the company for about fifteen years, from April 2007 to March 2022, only as a non-executive director, and was never involved in day-to-day management of the company," it said.
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Bengaluru: Four arrested for housebreaking, threats, extortion; fake PSI among accused
Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.
Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.
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According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.
On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.
Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.
