Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday arrested Harresh Mehta, a prominent developer from South Mumbai and director of Rohan Lifespaces Ltd, in connection with a fraud case. The case involves an alleged scam of Rs 280 crore, defrauding a leading public sector bank. The arrest was carried out by the CBI's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Mumbai.
Details on the case
The CBI's EOW Mumbai unit initiated the probe in 2016 based on a complaint filed by the Thane branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) against the directors of Rajput Retail Ltd (RRL), Vijay Gupta, and Ajay Gupta. The complaint stated that the accused directors conspired with unknown government servants and availed three loans from the bank using forged documents, resulting in a fraud of Rs 280 crore.
Involvement of Harresh Mehta in the case
During the investigation, the role of Harresh Mehta from Rohan Lifespaces Ltd and Rohan Constructions Ltd emerged. The CBI conducted searches at Mehta's offices and residences, as well as at Ruby Mills Ltd. It was revealed that loans totaling Rs 155 crore were sanctioned for the purchase of premises in a building called The Ruby.
Legal proceedings in the case
Mehta is currently in judicial custody, and the CBI had submitted a chargesheet in the case in July 2018. Mehta's lawyers argued against extending his custody, claiming that he had cooperated fully with the agency. They also contended that Mehta was not involved in forgery, fabrication of documents, or cheating, asserting that his arrest by the CBI was unlawful.
Another case taken over by CBI recently
In another development with the investigative agency, the CBI has taken over the investigation of a graft case wherein an Income Tax officer had allegedly demanded a bribe from a doctor for not taking action on a complaint against him for non filing of income tax returns. The accused was caught red-handed by the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in December 2020 while accepting a bribe of Rs10 lakh from the complainant.
