Mumbai: Court Discharges Wife & Daughter Of Main Accused In 2017 Postal Investment Scam

Mumbai: In the 2017 postal investment scam, the special court for the Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors (MPID) Act has discharged the wife and daughter of the now deceased main accused, Ramesh Bhatt.

About The Case

The court noted that there is no evidence that the two were involved in the collection of funds. While discharging Yogita Bhatt, 70, and Bhumika Mohire, 44, the court said mere entries of funds transferred by Bhatt into the account of her husband’s firm is not sufficient to frame charges in the absence of statements of witnesses. Yogita and Bhumika had approached the special MPID court for discharge through their lawyer, Sandeep Karnik. It is claimed that the two were postal agents working at the Mori Road Post Office, Mahim.

The two, along with Ramesh, allegedly misappropriated funds from investments made by customers in fixed and recurring deposits and monthly income schemes. Karnik argued that the allegations of deception and inducement of investments were only against the deceased accused and not his wife and daughter. Ramesh and Yogita Bhatt’s son Hunkar, the proprietor of M/s Dream Home Project, is also a key accused in the case. The funds of investors were allegedly diverted to his firm.

Karnik argued that none of the witnesses stated that Yogita and Bhumika explained schemes related to Hunkar’s real estate firm or collected money from investors. The court said the investigating officer prima facie committed a blunder by clubbing allegations of misappropriation of postal department’s funds with the allegation of accepting money under guise of schemes of a firm and diverting the money to it.