Can repay bank loans with my trade receivables: Mehul Choksi
Mumbai, Sep 27: Diamantaire, a key accused in the USD 2 billion PNB fraud, claimed on Friday that his company Gitanjali Gems has "trade receivables" of over Rs 8,000 crore, enough to repay his loans.
The absconding diamantaire made the claim in a plea filed before the special judge for Prevention of Money Laundering Act cases, V C Barde.
The plea sought a direction to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to "secure" all assets of Choksi and his firms, including the trade receivables that have not been attached until now.
The ED has not yet attached number of his assets, including trade receivables of Rs 8,567 crore as shown in the consolidated balance sheet of March 2017 of Gitanjali Gems, the application read.
The alleged proceeds of crime were Rs 6,097.63 crore so the trade receivables were sufficient to pay off the entire loan amount of the banks, it said.
Choksi was not able to recover this money as his entire business was closed down after a case was registered against him and others, it said.
Trade receivables are amounts billed by a business to its customers when it delivers goods or services.
In another application, Choksi urged the court to direct the ED to interrogate him in Antigua, where is living at present.
He also sought the court's permission to appear before it through video conference till he was "fit" to travel back to India.
The court asked the investigating agency to file its reply to all these pleas by October 10.
The scam at the public sector lender Punjab National Bank is related to fraudulent issuance of Letters of Understanding (LoU) to the companies of Choksi and his nephew and absconding co- accused Nirav Modi.
LoU is a guarantee given by the issuing bank to Indian banks having branches abroad for granting a short-term credit to the applicant.
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Young woman from MP who shot to fame during Kumbh found to be minor, case registered against husband
Khargone (MP) (PTI): The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes on Friday confirmed that a young woman from Madhya Pradesh who became famous due to her viral videos during the 2025 Maha Kumbh has been found to be a minor after an inquiry.
Citing the findings of an inquiry panel set up by the commission, local BJP leaders alleged that her interfaith marriage in Kerala last month was a case of "love Jihad", and sought legal action.
While the panel had submitted its report in March, ST commission chairman Antar Singh Arya confirmed its findings to the PTI on Friday.
A case for alleged kidnapping and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has already been registered against her husband, a Muslim man, at Maheshwar on the basis of the inquiry findings, police said.
The girl gained national fame after her videos while selling garlands and rudraksha at the Maha Kumbh went viral on social media and also earned her a role in a film.
The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes set up an inquiry panel after receiving a complaint on March 17 from Pratham Dubey, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, that she was a minor and was being exploited.
Maheshwar BJP MLA Rajkumar Mev and BJP mandal president Vikram Patel, armed with documents, told reporters on Friday that her marriage in Kerala was a case of "love Jihad" and she should be brought back home.
'Love jihad' is a term used by right-wing groups to allege a conspiracy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into marriage to convert them to Islam.
Police said an investigation is underway, and further action would be taken accordingly.
The girl, who belongs to the nomadic Pardhi community, got married at a temple in Kerala in March. The interfaith marriage drew angry reactions from rightwing Hindu groups.
Her family members and film director Sanoj Mishra -- who had offered her a film role after she became famous -- too alleged that it was 'love Jihad'.
As per the inquiry conducted by the ST commission, records at the Maheshwar government hospital showed the woman's date of birth as December 30, 2009 which meant she was 16 years and two months old at the time of marriage, said Dubey, the complainant.
On a complaint filed by her father, police registered a case against the girl's husband at Maheshwar police station on March 25 for alleged kidnapping and under the POCSO Act and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Police sources said that a separate case was also registered on March 24 under section 137(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (taking a minor from lawful custody of guardian without their consent) based on the the commission's findings.
