AHMEDABAD: A special PMLA court today remanded Jignesh Bhajiawala, arrested in connection with alleged money-laundering post-demonetisation, to a five-day custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Judge AC Joshi remanded Bhajiawala to ED custody till January 25.
The ED had sought a 10-day remand, arguing that Bhajiawala was not cooperating in the probe to unearth the source of seized new currency notes of Rs 1.02 crore from his possession. Seeking his exclusive custody, the ED told the court that Bhajiawala, a Surat-based businessman, was avoiding questions and did not even accept the evidences shown to him during his statement-recording on January 18-19. The court, however, granted the ED five days of custody, while also allowing Bhajiawala's lawyer to remain present at a "visible but not audible" distance when he is questioned by the agency.
Post demonetisation, the Bhajiawala family had deposited Rs 3.62 crore in their bank accounts in cash and most of the deposit was made on November 10-11, the ED has alleged. "Jignesh is not revealing the source of the seized currency of Rs 1.02 crore," the ED told the court while seeking his remand. The CBI too has registered a case against Bhajiawala, along with his father Kishore Bhajiawala and others, in connection with a recovery of Rs 1.05 crore in new currency notes from his premises during raids conducted by the Income Tax department.