Vivo PMLA case: Court extends ED custody of accused by 3 days

New Delhi: A court here on Friday extended by three days the ED custody of four people arrested in a money laundering case against Chinese smart phone maker Vivo, including the managing director of Lava International mobile company and a Chinese national.

The four accused were produced before Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala on completion of their three-day ED custody.

On Friday, the agency moved four separate applications seeking extension of their custody by 10 days but the court granted it only three more days for custodial interrogation of the accused.

“The accused persons namely Hari Om Rai, Nitin Garg, Rajan Malik and Guangwen Kuang alias Andrew are accordingly further remanded to ED custody till October 16,” the judge added.

The court directed that the interrogation be conducted at a place having CCTV coverage and the footage be preserved.

Noting that the public prosecutor had submitted on Tuesday that Hari Om Rai has not taken food despite it being served in custody, the court said Rai wanted to have an audience with higher officers of the ED.

This request was, however, strongly opposed by the prosecutor who said it was prohibited under the PMLA.

The agency had raided the company and individuals linked to it in July last year, claiming to have busted a major money laundering racket involving Chinese nationals and multiple Indian companies.