ED gets 4 days remand of Bhajiawala’s son

Ahmedabad: A special court here today allowed 4 days remand of Jignesh Bhajiawala, son of controversial self styled financier of Surat, arrested under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PML Act) for illegally converting old demonetized currency to new one by Enforcement Diretorate (ED).

Jignesh, who was nabbed from Surat yesterday by the ED, was produced in the special court again here today. The ED team had yesterday requested the court for 10 days remand for further interrogation however the court today allowed it only for four days. He will again be produced before the court on January 25.

Counsel of Jignesh opposed the remand and arrest of his client, arguing before the court that section 45 of PMA Act did not allow arrest or remand of a person by the agency. ED can only summon him for interrogation. He also said that his client had fully cooperated with the investigating agency and even recorded a detailed statement.

Jingesh was arrested after interrogation in the sub-zonal office of the ED in Surat. A case was earlier lodged by the ED against him, his brother Vilas and father Kishore Bhajiawala by ED last month under various sections of the PML Act. Jignesh had allegedly used fake id’s for depositing demonetized notes.

Based on the FIR lodged by the CBI earlier against Bhajiyawala and his two sons, who were found to be in possession of Rs 1.05 crore in new notes, ED haf lodged a case of money laundering against them on December 28.
On December 24, the CBI had registered an FIR against the trio and a bank manager in connection with Rs 1.05 crore in new currency notes recovered from his premises during searches conducted by Income Tax department.

The IT department had recovered cash, valuables and documents of property worth crores from the premises of Bhajiawala in Udhana area here and his bank lockers. Gold jewelry worth around Rs 5 crore and silver worth over 1.20 crore with other ornament and bullion worth around Rs 3 crore was also found during the raids.

Bhajiawala, who used to sale bhajia (a kind of Gujarati snacks) and tea at the road-side on a lorry in Udhana area of Surat earlier on, shot to limelight after the raids.

DeshGujarat