Mumbai police question New India Coop Bank's General Manager for Rs 122 cr 'misappropriation'
Mumbai, Feb 15 (PTI) The Mumbai police are questioning New India Cooperative Bank's General Manager and Head of Accounts, Hitesh Mehta, on Saturday after a case was registered against him and his associates for allegedly embezzling Rs 122 crore of the bank's funds, officials said.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday superseded the cooperative bank's board for a year and appointed an administrator to manage its affairs. A day prior to that, it imposed several restrictions on the lender, including on withdrawal of funds by depositors, citing supervisory concerns emanating from the recent material developments in the bank, and to protect the interest of its depositors.
Based on a complaint against Mehta and others, police registered a case in the wee hours of Saturday, which was then transferred to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) for investigation, an official said.
"Mehta has been brought to the EOW office in south Mumbai and he is being questioned by its officials," he said.
Acting Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Devarshi Ghosh, on Friday approached the Dadar police station in central Mumbai and lodged a complaint of misappropriation against Mehta and others, he said.
"As per the complaint, Mehta along with other associates hatched a conspiracy and embezzled Rs 122 crore from the safes of Prabhadevi and Goregaon offices of the bank," he said.
Based on the complaint, a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 316 (5) (criminal breach of trust by public servants, bankers, and others in positions of trust), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) was registered, he said, adding that the case was then transferred to the EOW considering its scope.
New India Cooperative Bank has 28 branches and most of them are located in Mumbai, while two are in Surat in neighbouring Gujarat and one in Pune.
The RBI's action against the bank triggered panic among its customers, who thronged its branches since morning on Friday hoping to access their savings, but were denied entry into the premises.
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Noida airport to begin ops next month with IndiGo flights to Lucknow, Bengaluru
Noida (PTI): IndiGo on Thursday announced that it will start commercial flight operations from the Noida International Airport in Jewar from June 15, becoming the launch carrier for the greenfield airport in western Uttar Pradesh.
The first day flights will be to and fro Lucknow and Bengaluru, the airline said in a statement.
Noida International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
IndiGo said it will be the first carrier to start commercial services from the airport, the third in the National Capital Region (NCR).
According to the airline, inaugural flights on June 15 will operate on the Lucknow-Noida-Bengaluru-Noida-Lucknow sector.
As per the announced schedule, flight 6E 2278 will depart from Lucknow at 7.05 am and arrive in Noida at 8.05 am before departing for Bengaluru at 8.35 am and landing there at 11.05 am.
The return flight, 6E 2279, will leave Bengaluru at 3.45 pm and reach Noida at 6.20 pm before departing for Lucknow at 6.55 pm and arriving there at 8 pm.
IndiGo said it will gradually introduce direct flights connecting Noida International Airport to more than 16 destinations across the country, including metro cities such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad, besides tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Jaipur, Lucknow, Navi Mumbai, Pantnagar and Srinagar.
The airline said bookings for the flights are being opened in phases through its website, mobile application and authorised travel partners.
Aloke Singh, Chief Strategy Officer of IndiGo, said the airline was pleased to announce the launch of operations from Noida International Airport.
"Strategically positioned on the Yamuna Expressway, Noida International Airport will be the new gateway for western Uttar Pradesh alongside the NCR. As we continue to expand our operations, we remain committed to delivering affordable, on-time and hassle-free travel experiences," Singh said.
IndiGo said the airport is expected to emerge as a major domestic aviation hub and will strengthen connectivity between Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh through integrated road and rail infrastructure.
