The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Sunday summoned senior Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha Raut for questioning in connection with the PMC Bank fraud case. “We have asked Varsha Raut to appear before the agency on December 29 in connection with the case,” an ED official said.
The fraud at PMC Bank came to light in September last year after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) discovered that the bank had allegedly created fictitious accounts to hide over Rs 4,355 crore of loans extended to the almost-bankrupt HDIL.
The summons for questioning has been issued to her under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED wants to question Varsha Raut with regard to “receipt” of some funds that were allegedly siphoned from the bank, official sources claimed.
Former MD of PMC bank, Joy Thomas aka Junaid Khan was also arrested by a special investigation team (SIT) of the EOW of Mumbai Police on the 4th of October, 2019. He had been absconding until then. The EOW had filed an FIR on September 30 last year against HDIL and PMC Bank officials in the PMC bank fraud case.
Later, it was revealed that Joy Thomas, former MD of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank had converted to Islam, married his assistant at the bank as per Islamic rituals in 2012, changed his name to Junaid Khan and owned 10 properties in Pune with his second wife allegedly as part of the Rs 4,355 crore scam.
The Enforcement Directorate had registered a case of money laundering and initiated their own investigation into the scam. Senior NCP leader Praful Patel was also accused of having links with the Wadhwans.
