Nirav Modi Fraud Case: Court Remands PNB’s Internal Chief Auditor Bishnubrata Mishra to CBI Custody Till March 14

Mumbai, March 2: A Mumbai court on Friday remanded Punjab National Bank's Internal Chief Auditor (retired) Bishnubrata Mishra to Central Bureau of Investigation custody till March 14 in connection wit

Mumbai, March 2: A Mumbai court on Friday remanded Punjab National Bank’s Internal Chief Auditor (retired) Bishnubrata Mishra to Central Bureau of Investigation custody till March 14 in connection with the multi-crore fraud. Mishra was arrested by the central investigation agency on Thursday.

Mishra was responsible for concurrent audit for the period 2011-2015 at Mumbai’s Brady House branch. (Also read: Cannot Confirm Report of Nirav Modi in The Country, Says US)

The CBI questioned 13 more people in addition to the questioning of those who are in the CBI custody in the said case.

A special CBI court had on Thursday sent Internal Chief Auditor MK Sharma of the same branch to the CBI custody till March 13. Sharma was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the fraud case against diamond merchant Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi’s Gitanjali group.

Sharma was responsible for auditing the systems and practices of the PNB in Brady House Branch.

Modi, his uncle Mehul Choksi and others are being investigated by multiple probe agencies following a complaint by the PNB that they allegedly cheated the nationalised bank to the tune of over Rs 12,000 crore, with the purported involvement of a few employees of the bank.

They allegedly acquired fraudulent letters of undertaking (LoUs) from its Brady House branch in Fort area for overseas credit from other lenders.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have registered two FIRs each in this case.

Modi, his family, and Choksi, the promoter of Gitanjali Gems, left the country in early January, much before the CBI received a complaint from the PNB.

On being asked by the CBI to join its investigation into the alleged fraud, Modi refused, saying he has “business abroad”.

The CBI then directed him to contact the embassy of India in a country where he is staying so that his travel to India can be arranged.

A Look Out Circular (LoC), also known as a blue corner notice, has already been issued against Modi and Choksi to keep a tab on their entry at all land, air and sea ports in India.

With inputs from Agencies