Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today said the government will actively pursue cases against economic offenders to bring back defrauded money of banks.
The remark came soon after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said the Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT) has sold shares worth over Rs 5,800 crore of United Breweries Limited (UBL) that were earlier attached under the anti-money laundering law as part of an alleged bank fraud probe against fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya.
"Fugitives & economic offenders will be actively pursued; their properties attached & dues recovered. PSBs have already recovered Rs 1357 Cr by selling such shares. A total of Rs 9041.5 Cr shall be realised by banks through sale of such attached assets" the Finance Minister said in a tweet.
According to the Enforcement Directorate, Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi have defrauded public sector banks by siphoning off the funds through their companies which resulted in total loss of Rs 22,585.83 crore to the lenders.
The latest sale proceeds, as per the agency, would take the total value of recovery to Rs 9,041.5 crore, or 40 per cent of the over Rs 22,000 crore allegedly defrauded by the trio.
The three, who fled overseas as probes against them gathered pace, are being investigated by central investigative agencies such as the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after they were alleged to have cheated banks.
The Enforcement Directorate gave the low-down on these two cases -- the estimated Rs 13,000 crore fraud allegedly carried out by diamond trader Nirav Modi, his uncle Mehul Choksi and others in the Brady House branch of PNB in Mumbai, and the about Rs 9,000 crore Kingfisher Airlines fraud triggered by Vijay Mallya -- in a statement.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
GST Council Exempts Gene Therapy, Cuts Tax Rate For Rice Kernels Vijay Mallya To "Dearest Friend" Lalit Modi On X: "We've Been Wronged" "Entitled To Relief": Vijay Mallya On Banks Recovering Rs 14,131 Crore Assets "Intention To Dupe UPSC": Ex-IAS Trainee Puja Khedkar Denied Pre-Arrest Bail Bangladeshi Traders "Forced" To Import From Pakistan Amid Growing Ties 3 Marriages, Rs 1.25 Crore: How 'Looting Bride' Targeted Rich Men How To Tax Popcorn? Government's GST Formula Sparks Debate Satellite Images, GPS, Fighter Jets: All About NORAD's Santa Tracker Send Sheikh Hasina Back To Dhaka, Bangladesh Writes To India Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.