Latest news with #RajeshBatreja
India Today
21-05-2025
- India Today
Senior IPS officer's husband arrested in Rs 24-crore cheating case in Mumbai
The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police has arrested Purushottam Chavan, husband of Rashmi Karandikar, a senior IPS officer posted in Mumbai, for allegedly cheating multiple individuals of Rs 24 crore. He is accused of cheating victims with promises of discounted flats in prime areas such as South Mumbai and Lower Parel under government was already in judicial custody for his involvement in a Rs 263 crore Income Tax return fraud case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). On Tuesday, the EOW took his custody based on disclosures made by the FINDS FORGED DOCUMENTSLast year, the ED had arrested Chavan for accepting Rs 12 crore from accused individuals in the IT refund scam, promising to help them avoid arrest. During searches at his residence, the ED found multiple forged documents, including fake Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) papers and land deals valued at over Rs 100 crore. These documents were allegedly used to dupe potential property ED passed on these findings to Mumbai Police, leading to the registration of an FIR by the EOW and the current OF ED CASEIn July 2024, the ED attached assets worth Rs 14.02 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the Rs 263 crore Income Tax refund scam. The attached properties included a flat in Mumbai belonging to Chavan, land in Lonavala and Khandala belonging to Rajesh Batreja, bank balances, insurance policies and fixed deposits of others ED investigation was based on a CBI FIR against Tanaji Mandal Adhikari and others for generating fraudulent TDS refunds from the Income Tax a May 2024 search at the IPS officer's residence, ED officials recovered documents related to 14 flats in Mumbai and Thane, including two large flats in Worli. TDR documents for Mumbai and Pune were also seized. The total value of these assets is estimated at Rs 150 crore, with many believed to be benami properties. Most of the TDR documents were found to be OPERANDIAccording to the ED, Chavan had assured Rajesh Batreja, one of the main accused in the IT refund scam, of legal relief in return for Rs 12 crore. Chavan is accused of being in possession of part of the proceeds of the investigations revealed that Batreja, with the help of Anirudh Gandhi, helped Adhikari and others divert Rs 55.5 crore outside India. Some of this amount was later invested in Indian companies in Mumbai and Gurugram under the guise of share purchases through cross-border Batreja repatriated Rs 1.7 crore but subsequently, in collusion with Chavan, concealed the remaining amount in India and abroad through associates in far, five accused - Adhikari, Chavan, Bhushan Anant Patil, Rajesh Shantaram Shetty and Rajesh Batreja, have been arrested and are in judicial custody. A prosecution complaint was filed against Adhikari and 10 others on September 11, 2023, and has been taken up by the Special PMLA Court. The total value of attached or seized properties in the case now stands at approximately Rs 182 crore.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Mere prolonged custody no ground for bail: Court in money laundering case
Mumbai: Observing that merely because the accused is in custody continuously, it does not mean that he is entitled to be released on bail on this ground alone, a special PMLA court rejected the bail plea of businessman Rajesh Batreja, arrested almost two years ago in a money laundering case linked to a Rs 263 crore income tax refund fraud case. While Batreja (50) also cited health issues, the judge said that considering the medical report and the diagnoses, it appears that the accused is not suffering from any serious life-threatening disease and has been provided proper medication from time to time. "…there's nothing on record which goes to show that the accused was unable to take his own care in the jail and needs any kind of support," special judge AC Daga judge further said that the accused failed to reasonably satisfy that he is not guilty of such an offence and is not likely to commit any offence while on bail. "Therefore, no case is made out for releasing the accused on bail," the judge Public Prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves strongly opposed the bail plea. The ED submitted that Tanaji Adhikari, who was a senior tax assistant in the TDS refund section of the income-tax (IT) department, allegedly managed to procure login credentials of his seniors, which he used to clear Rs 264 crore in fake TDS refund claims into the accounts of his associates. Rajesh Batreja, co-accused in the case, allegedly sent part of the money, Rs 55.5 crore, to Dubai via hawala, which he layered with the help of a few companies. Later, Batreja brought the money to the country, showing it as an investment in two companies. Batreja said he paid Rs 12 crore to Purshottam Chavan, an IPS officer's husband, after the latter promised to help in the ED case by using his contacts. Chavan is also arrested in the case. The chargesheet also said that between August and November 2023, Chavan and another accused, Batreja, dealt with Rs 11 crore proceeds of bail, Batreja's lawyer cited his false implication and contended that probe is complete, rendering further custody unnecessary. It was also submitted that given that the case rests on documentary evidence already held by the investigating agency and the protracted nature of both the predicate and present trials, no purpose is served by continued detention. "The proceeds of crime to the tune of Rs 55.50 crore has been detected and traced," the lawyer submitted.
