The Financial Offences Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Police investigating the alleged Rs 122 crore embezzlement on the New India Cooperative Financial institution is planning to conduct a lie detector take a look at on Hitesh Mehta, the prime accused and the previous normal supervisor, as he’s altering his variations throughout interrogation and never cooperating with the probe.
EOW could quickly transfer court docket in search of permission for a similar. An EOW officer on Tuesday mentioned that since Mehta is altering his assertion relating to the quantity he has given to different accused. It’s believed that he’s mendacity on many elements.
“Initially, he claimed an quantity and when the identical was cross-checked with the opposite accused Dharamesh Paun, it turned out to be a special quantity. Therefore, we determined to conduct a lie detector take a look at on him and would quickly make an software earlier than the court docket for a similar,” mentioned an EOW officer.
As per obligatory process, the court docket will ask Mehta for his consent, and solely after he provides consent the EOW shall be granted permission for the scientific take a look at to be carried out on the accused.
Mehta, throughout preliminary questioning, claimed to have given Rs 70 crore to developer Paun. Paun had taken this cash within the title of investing in a slum redevelopment challenge in Charkop. Nonetheless, he mentioned that he has not accepted such a giant quantity from Mehta.
In addition to this, some cash was additionally given to a Malwani-based photo voltaic panel businessman Unnanathan Arunachalam alias Arun Bhai. Arunachalam has been proven as wished accused within the case. In the meantime, on Tuesday the EOW additionally recorded assertion of one of many auditors who audited financial institution’s books.
The EOW officers are looking for out why the gross monetary irregularities on the financial institution was not flagged up to now 5 years on the time of annual auditing. EOW officers are additionally questioning different workers on the financial institution.
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Police sources mentioned that Mehta is suspected to have given the cash of the financial institution’s depositors on curiosity to others as unsecured loans throughout the Covid interval.
Preliminary info revealed that seeing that the small businessmen had been in dire want of cash as a consequence of heavy losses within the enterprise throughout Covid interval, Mehta gave them loans on curiosity, a supply mentioned.
Mehta is a commerce graduate and began working with the financial institution in 1987. He was due for retirement in October this 12 months. He was appointed as Basic Supervisor and head accountant in 2002.
Within the preliminary investigation, it has been revealed that Mehta allegedly embezzled Rs 112 crore from the vaults of Prabhadevi workplace and Rs 10 crore from the vaults of Goregaon workplace.
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Mehta and Paun are at present in police custody until February 21.
