DHFL scam: CBI seizes AgustaWestland helicopter from Pune premises of builder Avinash Bhosale
New Delhi, Jul 30: The CBI seized an AgustaWestland helicopter from the premises of builder Avinash Bhosale in Pune on Saturday in connection with the Rs 34,615-crore DHFL scam case, officials said Saturday.
It is alleged that the AW109SP helicopter was purchased by Varva Aviation, owned by an Association of Persons, in 2011 for Rs 36 crore, they said.
RKW Developers Pvt Ltd, which is owned by the Wadhawan family of DHFL Group, had allegedly joined the Association in 2017 by paying crores of rupees for the membership and maintenance of the chopper, they said.
It was reasonably apprehended that funds used by RKW Developers for buying stake in the Association were sourced from loans sanctioned by various banks of the 17-member consortium which was cheated by DHFL and its former CMD Kapil Wadhawan and Director Dheeraj Wadhawan, among others, to the tune of Rs 34,615 crore, they said.
After getting input about the investment, the CBI on Saturday seized the helicopter from a hangar at the premises of builder Avinash Bhosale at Baner Road, Pune, they said.
The CBI has recently charge-sheeted Bhosale in a separate case of corruption in DHFL and Yes Bank, they said.
The federal probe agency had booked Dewan Housing Finance Ltd, the Wadhawan brothers and others on June 20 in the bank fraud case worth Rs 34,615 crore, making it the biggest such case probed by the agency, officials said.
It was alleged that they had cheated a consortium of 17 banks led by Union Bank of India by siphoning off Rs 34,615 crore bank loans by diverting them using falsified account books of DHFL.
They allegedly used shell companies and a parallel accounting system known as 'Bandra Books' to siphon off public funds in DHFL by disbursing money to fictitious entities as retail loans.
The agency acted on a complaint from Union Bank of India, the lead bank of the consortium which had extended credit facilities to the tune of Rs 42,871 crore to DHFL between 2010 and 2018.
The bank has alleged that the Wadhawans in criminal conspiracy with others misrepresented and concealed facts, and committed a criminal breach of trust to cheat the consortium by defaulting on loan repayments from May 2019 onwards.
The audit of DHFL account books showed that the company allegedly committed financial irregularities, diverted funds, fabricated books, and round-tripped funds to "create assets for Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan" using public money.
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Karnataka HC awards compensation to family of woman who died while boarding wrong train
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court has overturned a decision by the Railway Claims Tribunal and granted Rs 8 lakh compensation to the family of a woman who tragically lost her life while attempting to board a wrong train in February 2014.
Jayamma and her sister Rathnamma inadvertently boarded the Tuticorin Express instead of the Tirupati passenger train bound for Ashokapuram/Mysore. Realising their mistake as the train started moving, they panicked and attempted to disembark. Sadly, Jayamma fell on the platform and sustained fatal injuries.
Initially, the Railway Claims Tribunal rejected the family's petition, citing Jayamma's failure to utilise available options, such as continuing the journey to the next station or pulling the alarm chain.
The Tribunal deemed Jayamma's death as a "self-inflicted injury" under Section 124-A of the Indian Railways Act, thereby denying compensation.
Justice H P Sandesh of the Karnataka High Court disagreed with the Tribunal's interpretation. He emphasised that Jayamma was a genuine passenger and her death resulted from an 'untoward incident,' as affirmed by the Supreme Court.
The Judge criticised the Tribunal's reliance on Section 124-A, stating that it was erroneously applied in this case.
Consequently, the court recently ordered the Railways to pay Rs 4 lakh compensation with 7% interest, ensuring that the final amount awarded to the family totals no less than Rs 8 lakh, inclusive of interest.
