PMLA case: Sterling Biotech director sent to 11-day ED custody

Businessman Gagan Dhawan was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in the case involving fraud of over Rs 5,000 crore by Sandesara Group. 
Image used for representational purpose only. (File photo | Reuters)
Image used for representational purpose only. (File photo | Reuters)

NEW DELHI: A court here on Saturday remanded one of the directors of the Gujarat-based pharmaceutical company, Sterling Biotech, to 11-day custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a Rs 5,000 crore bank fraud case.

Rajbhushan Omprakash Dixit, one of the directors of Sterling Biotech was presented before Additional Sessions Judge Sidharth Sharma after the expiry of his one-day ED custody. Dixit was arrested on the night of January 25. 

Special Public Prosecutor Nitesh Rana requested the court to allow ED to quiz Dixit to unearth the entire conspiracy. The court allowed ED to quiz him for another 11 days. Dixit was the third arrest in the case. 

Earlier, on November 1, 2017, businessman Gagan Dhawan was arrested from his south Delhi residence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the case involving fraud of over Rs 5,000 crore by Sandesara Group. He was released on bail on January 4. 

On January 12, ED arrested a former Director of Andhra Bank, Anup Prakash Garg, in a Rs 5,000 crore bank fraud case involving Sterling Biotech.

Both the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had named Garg in criminal cases as an accused. The ED initiated a money laundering probe in the case taking cognizance of the CBI FIR.

The CBI had booked Sterling Biotech, its directors Chetan Jayantilal Sandesara, Dipti Chetan Sandesara, Rajbhushan Omprakash Dixit, Nitin Jayantilal Sandesara and Vilas Joshi, Chartered Accountant Hemant Hathi, Anup Prakash Garg and some unidentified persons in connection with the alleged bank fraud case.

Sterling Biotech had taken loans of over Rs 5,000 crore from a consortium of banks led by Andhra Bank which had turned into non-performing assets. The total pending dues was Rs 5,383 crore as on December 31, 2016, said the CBI FIR.

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