Demonetisation: Court extends ED custody of banker till Dec 15

An official of a private bank was on Mondaysent to three-day custody of Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) by a Delhi court, which also remanded another officer to judicial custody for alleged irregularities in conversion of old currency and supply of new notes.

Duty magistrate Shilpi Jain extended the ED custody of 32-year-old Vineet Gupta, now suspended Branch Manager in Axis Bank’s Kashmere Gate branch here, by three days after the agency submitted that he was not cooperating in the probe.

The court sent 33-year-old Shobit Sinha, the manager (operations) in the bank, to judicial custody till December 26 after ED said the probe was at the initial stage and it might take his custody later.

Special Public Prosecutor Vikas Garg, appearing for ED, contended that Gupta was “not cooperating at all” in the probe and recovery and sought his remand for seven more days.

He also said that Sinha and one Mohit Garg have said in their statements to the agency that one gold brick was given to Gupta, who was “frustrating” the proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the case.

The prosecutor argued that the Income Tax Department has seized the CCTV footage of the bank branch and cyber experts were cloning the footage, which would be given in 2-3 days to the ED which would confront Gupta with it, he added.

The custody plea was opposed by the defence counsel on the ground that their custodial interrogation was not needed.

Gupta and Sinha, who were arrested on December 4, were produced before the court on expiry of their seven-day ED custody. Both officials, who have been suspended by the bank, were arrested under the provisions of PMLA.

Besides them, ED has also arrested Rajeev Kumar Kushwaha, alleged to be the mastermind behind floating of shell companies, who is in the agency custody till December 15.

ED had earlier told the court that the two officials, in connivance with others, were indulging in illegally changing demonetised currency into new notes.