I have done nothing wrong, truth shall prevail: Mehul Choksi

Agencies
February 24, 2018

New Delhi, Feb 24: The owner of Gitanjali Gems, Mehul Choksi, who is also an accused in the Rs 11,300 crore PNB fraud, today released a letter to his employees in which he said that he has done nothing wrong and truth shall prevail.

"I will face my destiny and I know I have done nothing wrong and ultimately the truth shall prevail," Choksi said in a letter released by his lawyer Sanjay Abbot.

Choksi expressed his "helplessness" to clear the dues of his company's 3,500 employees as investigative agencies have seized his bank accounts and other properties.

"I am facing a lot of problems due to the manner in which the multiple investigative agencies/ government agencies have started to create a havoc, hell bent upon stopping the operations," he added.

Highlighting the "situation of fear and injustice" created against him and the company, Choksi suggested to employees that in view of the uncertainty looming over payment of dues, termination of office operations, and "unfair investigation", they begin scouting for alternate career options.

The top businessman also clarified that laptops, mobile phones issued by the organisation can remain with employees until dues were cleared, adding that relieving letters and experience certificates would be issued to them when necessary.

Choksi also maintained his stance of being falsely accused of defrauding PNB, and assured that employee dues would be cleared once justice is served and the situation returns to normalcy.

He also expressed his fear of safety for himself and his family on account of the ongoing "unfair treatment, investigation, media frenzy and political statements", and alleged that the probe was being done to create a fear psychosis in the minds of employees.

Choksi's letter comes a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigated around 144 "suspicious companies “associated with diamond merchant and his nephew Nirav Modi.

The companies were investigated to check if these firms laundered money through the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) method.

Earlier this month, Punjab National Bank (PNB) had disclosed the involvement of Nirav Modi and Choksi in the mutli-crore scam.

PNB lodged two financial fraud complaints of Rs 11400 crore and Rs 280 crore against Nirav Modi, his family members and the owner of Gitanjali Gems.

Following which, the external affairs ministry had cancelled the passports of both the jewellers for four weeks.

The government also announced a multi-agency probe into Nirav Modi's dealings and the I-T department swung into action, provisionally attaching 29 properties and 105 accounts linked to Nirav Modi and his family, even as he surfaced at a luxurious hotel suite in New York.

On February 17, according to reports on television channels, Nirav Modi, along with his family, was traced to a swish 36th-floor suit at JW Marriott's Essex House.

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News Network
January 8,2020

Meerut, Jan 8: Hangman Pawan Jallad, who officials say is being considered to carry out the execution of the four Nirbhaya gangrape case convicts, on Tuesday said he is ready for the job which will send out a strong message in the society.

He said executing those who were involved in the horrific crime will bring "great relief" to him, Nirbhaya's parents and everybody else.

Earlier in the day, a Delhi court issued death warrants against all the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape-murder case and ordered that they are hanged on January 22 at 7 am in Tihar jail.

The death warrant, also known as a black warrant, addressed to the office of the Tihar jail chief, was issued by Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora against Mukesh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31).

"I do not have any information regarding the execution, nobody has spoken to me yet. If anyone approaches me, I am ready to do the job. Earlier, I was asked to be ready for the execution on December 16," Pawan Jallad told reporters here.

"Those who were involved in this brutal incident must be hanged, which will send out a strong message in the society," he said.

"Hanging the Nirbhaya gangrape case convicts will certainly bring great relief to me, her parents and everybody else," he added.

Nirbhaya, a 23-year-old paramedic student, was gang-raped and brutalised on the intervening night of December 16-17, 2012, inside a moving bus in south Delhi by the four men, along with two others, before being dumped on the road.

She died on December 29, 2012, at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore.

Of the six persons convicted, one allegedly committed suicide in jail and another, a juvenile, was released from a reformation home after serving a three-year term.

When contacted, Jail Superintendent of Meerut prison V P Pandey said he has not yet received any letter from Tihar authorities.

"Last month, we had received a letter asking us to keep Pawan Jallad ready but there is no fresh communication. The Delhi court warrants were issued this evening, maybe we will get the letter for sending him by tomorrow (Wednesday)," he said.

The gangrape of 23-year-old, who came to be known as 'Nirbhaya', the fearless one, sparked outrage across the country. Repulsed, people took to the streets across the country, demanding justice for her and better safety measures for women.

The case led to toughening of India's rape laws.

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News Network
May 22,2020

Mumbai, May 22: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday reduced repo rate by 40 basis points to 4 per cent in an effort to further boost liquidity in the economy which has been reeling under the impact of COVID-19 induced countrywide lockdown.

As a result, the reverse repo rate stands at 3.35 per cent, said RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das. The six-member monetary policy committee (MPC) voted 5:1 in favour of the decision.

Repo rate is the rate at which a country's central bank lends money to commercial banks, and the reverse repo rate is the rate at which it borrows from them. 

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News Network
May 27,2020

Mumbai, May 27: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday ordered re investigation by the CID into the suicide of a 53-year-old interior designer and his mother, allegedly over non-payment of dues by TV journalist Arnab Goswami and two others.

State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said he ordered re investigation after Adnya Naik, daughter of interior designer Anvay Naik, claimed that Alibag Police in neighbouring Raigad district did not probe the non-payment of dues which had driven her father and grandmother to suicide.

"Adnya Naik had complained to me that #AlibaugPolice had not investigated non-payment of dues from #ArnabGoswami's @republic which drove her entrepreneur father & grandmom to suicide in May 2018," Deshmukh tweeted.

"I've ordered a CID re-investigation of the case," the minister, an NCP leader, added.

He also used the hashtag "Maharashtra government cares" while sharing the tweet. Earlier this month, the police registered an abetment of suicide case against Republic TV editor-in-chief Goswami and two others.

The suicide note purportedly written by Anvay Naik, managing director of Concorde Designs Private Limited, said he was forced to take his life as he was not paid dues of Rs 5.40 crore by the three accused.

Republic TV denied the allegation and said that certain vested interest groups were running "a false and malicious campaign and making false statements and innuendos against the company by exploiting the tragic event".

Mumbai Police are also conducting a probe against Goswami over his statements about the Palghar lynching case of April this year.

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