New India Cooperative Bank Scam: EOW Plans Lie Detector Test On Prime Accused Hitesh Mehta

Mumbai: In a significant development in the ₹122 crore scam at New India Cooperative Bank, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is planning to conduct a lie detector test on the prime accused, Hitesh Mehta.

Investigators suspect that Mehta siphoned off ₹122 crore, out of which ₹70 crore was allegedly given to Dharmesh Paun for his SRA project in Charkop, and ₹40 crore was handed over to Arunbhai. However, Paun has denied receiving this amount, claiming he only took ₹2 crore and returned ₹1.50 crore. Recently, Paun claimed he received ₹12 crore. Frequently, accused individuals have been changing their statements.

With conflicting statements from the accused, the EOW will seek permission from the court to conduct a polygraph test on Mehta to verify the truth behind the missing funds, pending Mehta's consent. The test is expected to shed light on the exact money trail and the involvement of other suspects.

The scam came to light when ₹122 crore was found missing from the bank’s locker during an RBI inspection on February 12. As the investigation intensifies, more arrests and revelations are anticipated in the coming days.

During an RBI inspection, key accused Hitesh Mehta confessed to misappropriating ₹122 crore. Notably, RBI officials recorded his confession on their mobile phone at the time.

Now, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has decided to seize the mobile device containing the video evidence and send it to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for authentication and analysis.

This video could serve as crucial evidence in the ongoing investigation. Sources indicate that the forensic examination will help determine the authenticity of the confession and whether the video was tampered with in any way.

In a significant development in the ₹122 crore scam at New India Cooperative Bank, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has planning to conduct a lie detector test on the prime accused, Hitesh Mehta.Prakash Vernekar, General Manager (Audit), was summoned to the EOW office for questioning today.

According to the Source, Vernekar is working as Auditor since long back with bank. 2-3 auditors who handled the bank’s audits over the years have also been called for interrogation at the EOW office.