NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a lookout notice for the promoters of DHFL and 19 other defaulters at the request of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) as part of its crackdown against defaulters leaving the country. According to officials, the lookout notice is against Kapil Wadhawan, Aruna Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan, the three primary promoters of DHFL.
“This time the government cannot allow any defaulters to fly abroad. The ministry (MCA) gave a list of 20 defaulters last week, which included promoters of Jet, DHFL, a leading steel and power company, and the promoter of a realty company. This week, a fresh list will be given to the MHA,” an official from the MCA said.
The government has already faced embarrassment after Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and about a dozen other individuals fled the country after alleged defaults and fraud. The corporate affairs ministry has initiated the move following a green signal from the PMO to tighten the noose around companies, promoters and directors involved in serious fraud and irregular transactions.
Last week, Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal and his wife Anita Goyal were deplaned from a Dubai-bound flight after the couple was denied permission to travel abroad by the immigration authority at Mumbai airport in the light of the current crisis at the now-grounded Jet Airways. The list also had the names of DHFL promoters in order to prevent them from leaving India till the investigation is completed. An investigation by the MCA has reportedly found that addresses provided by DHFL subsidiaries and its associated companies did not exist.
While the companies denied receiving any such notice, shares of DHFL dropped as much as 7 per cent in intraday trade. In January, news reports surfaced in the media reporting that the DHFL promoters allegedly siphoned off Rs 31,000 crore out of bank loans of Rs 97,000 crore. The company denied the allegation.
PMO NOD FOR ACTION
The corporate affairs ministry has initiated the move following a green signal from the PMO to tighten the noose around companies, promoters and directors involved in serious fraud and irregular transactions. The government has already faced embarrassment after Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and about a dozen other individuals fled the country after alleged defaults and fraud.