With Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials Sunday continuing their raids at the premises of BJP leader Amar Moolchandani, a former Seva Vikas Bank chairman, in connection with an over Rs 400 crore scam, it has emerged that at least eight groups, including an educational institute, are also under the scanner. The ED is likely to make several arrests in the case, sources said.
On Saturday, ED officials lodged an FIR against Moolchandani and his family members under Section 353 of the Indian Penal Code for obstructing government servants from discharging their duties.
Two of his relatives have been arrested. Moolchandani was admitted to Sassoon hospital after his blood pressure shot up, the police said.
During the raid, Moolchandani allegedly hid in a room in his apartment. The ED has accused him of trying to tamper with the evidence.
“ED officials have filed an FIR against Amar Moolchandani under Section 353 of IPC,” Shankar Awtade, police inspector of Pimpri police station, told the Indian Express Sunday. “We will take action against him based on the FIR,” Awtade added.
Dabbu Aswani, former deputy mayor of Pimpri-Chinchwad, is one of the complainants in the multi-crore Seva Vikas Bank scam. “I am not alone. There are at least five to six individuals who had filed complaints against Moolchandani, bank directors, and officials in connection with the multi-crore scam. After our complaint, the RBI conducted an audit. In the audit, it was found that over Rs 400 crore loan fraud has taken place in the bank,” he said.
Shri Aswani, another complainant in the case, said: “Over 100 FIRs have been filed in connection to the loan fraud. Loans were given without mortgage and to non-existent individuals. Loans worth crores were shown to have been given for the purchase of two-wheelers. In a period of one year, Rs 1,500 crore was deposited by customers. In the same period, Rs 1,500 crore has been withdrawn from the bank.”
Aswani alleged that there are at least eight groups involved in the case. “Loans were taken in the name of employees of these groups… There are going to be several arrests in the case,” he said.
Meanwhile, the BJP tried to distance itself from Moolchandani. “He had joined the BJP during Laxman Jagtap’s time as president of the Pimpri-Chinchwad unit. But he was never an active member of the party. He is not in my executive committee,” said BJP Pimpri-Chinchwad president Mahesh Landge.
A BJP leader said Moolchandani had joined the party in 2015 but was never given any post nor did he contest any election on the party ticket.
Before joining the BJP, Moolchandani was in the Congress. He had served as standing committee chairman and as deputy mayor of Pimpri-Chinchwad.
