₹122 Crore New India Co-op Bank Scam: EOW Pastes Proclaimed Offender Notice At Bhanu Couple’s Mumbai Home; Court Summons Issued For April 19

Mumbai: The Mumbai Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has put proclaimed offenders notice on absconding couple Hiren and Gauri Bhanu south Mumbai residence in the Rs 122 crore cash embezzlement from New India Cooperative Bank vaults.

The notice pasted late Wednesday night on the door of the absconding couple home at Shyam Niwas, Bhulabhai Desai Road states that they will have to appear before the court on April 19, 2025 at 11 am and action will be initiated to confiscate all their properties on failure to comply with the summons.

“A police team visited flat no 53 of Shyam Niwas at Bhulabhai Desai Road to serve summons to Hitesh and Gauri Bhanu to join the investigation in New India Cooperative Bank scam. Since the flat was locked a proclaimed offender notice was pasted on the door asking both to appear before the court on 19 April and failure will lead to appropriate legal proceedings to confiscate their properties,” confirmed a senior EOW official.

The police investigation team has also informed the lawyers of Bhanu about the proclaimed offenders notices issued against the couple on the run.

The Bhanu couple - Hiren and Gauri- both former chairman and vice chairman of the bank had last month submitted written statements through their lawyers to the Mumbai Police denying involvement in the Rs 122 crore embezzlement scam and requested permission to appear before the EOW via video conferencing to record their statements.

The EOW investigation has revealed that the absconding couple had colluded with the arrested prime accused Hitesh Mehta had siphoned off the bank funds of which Hiren Bhanu received Rs 26 crore and Gauri Bhanu got Rs 2 crore.