ED grills Bhajiyawala, CBI interrogates 2 sons, bank manager

Surat/Gujarat: Enforcement Directorate and CBI officials today grilled Surat based ‘financer’ Kishor Bhajiaywala, his two sons and a senior manager of a co-operative bank in connection with the recovery of over Rs one crore in new currency during the recent raids conducted on his residence, office and bank lockers.

While Bhajiyawala was interrogated by local officers of ED in Surat his sons and the bank official were questioned for over seven hours by the CBI team in capital Gandhinagar.

CBI had earlier lodged an FIR against Kishor, his two sons Jignesh and Vilash and the senior manager of the Surat People’s Cooperative Bank, Pankaj Bhatt. The CBI in its FIR has also mentioned about the involvment of some unnkown people in the matter. Appropriate action will be intitiated after completion of investigation.

Notalbly, during the IT raids conducted recently, Rs 2000 notes worth over Rs one crore, large ammount of gold, silver and diamond jewelry worth over Rs 10 crore and documents of various properties were found. The CBI has also conducted raids in this connection. Over a dozen bank lockers of Bhajiyawala, who once used to be a road side tea and snacks vendor, were thouroghly checked during the IT raids. He is said to have made his empire by lending money at exorbitant rates and usurping properties and other valuables on failing to repay.

Meanwhile an official associated with the ongoing investigation of the matter said that the investigating agencies might go for a brain mapping test of Bhajiyawala and other agencies.

DeshGujarat