Advocate Vijay Aggarwal, who represented a number of accused persons in the 2G spectrum case, will defend Nirav Modi in the still unravelling Rs 11,400-crore PNB scam case. The noted lawyer had represented a number of high-profile accused persons, including Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa, Vinod Goenka, among others in the 2G spectrum auction scam.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate is conducting raids in various showrooms of Gitanjali Gems and Nakshatra showrooms, and Nirav Modi's Mumbai residence in connection with the scam. It raided Gitanjali Gems outlet in Pacific Mall in Pune and a Nakshatra Showroom in Salt Lake area in Kolkata. ED raids are also underway at two locations in Pune, three in Thane and one in Aurangabad, three locations in Surat and one in Delhi.
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Earlier the day, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sealed Punjab National Banks's MCB Brady House branch in Mumbai, from where transactions related to PNB scam were carried out.
Three people, including two employees of PNB, were arrested on Saturday in the biggest fraud case in the country’s banking history.
The CBI, on Monday, was questioning Vipul Ambani, the Chief Financial Officer of diamantaire Nirav Modi's Fire Star diamond company, officials said in New Delhi on Monday. They said Vipul Ambani was holding the position for last three to four years.Vipul is the son of Dhirubhai Ambani’s youngest brother Natubhai Ambani.
CBI officials said the agency is continuing the questioning of arrested bank officials—Gokulnath Shetty (retired) and Manoj Kharat, and the signatory of Nirav Modi's company—besides that of other officials of PNB, to find out the money trail and depth of the alleged scam involving thousands of documents and digital records. The CBI is also examining financial transactions of 18 India-based subsidiaries of the Gitanjali group of companies promoted by Choksi to understand the money trail of funds taken from various banks on the basis of Rs 11,384 crore of guarantees furnished by Punjab National Bank, officials said here.
(With inputs from agencies)