CBI seizes AgustaWestland helicopter from builder in DHFL scam

The Central Bureau of Investigation seized an AgustaWestland helicopter from the premises of builder Avinash Bhosale in Pune on Saturday in connection with the Rs 34,615-crore DHFL scam case, officials said Saturday.

It is alleged that the AW109SP helicopter was purchased by Varva Aviation, owned by an Association of Persons, in 2011 for Rs 36 crore, they said.

RKW Developers Pvt Ltd, which is owned by the Wadhawan family of DHFL Group, had allegedly joined the Association in 2017 by paying crores of rupees for the membership and maintenance of the chopper, they said.

It was reasonably apprehended that funds used by RKW Developers for buying stake in the Association were sourced from loans sanctioned by various banks of the 17-member consortium which was cheated by DHFL and its former CMD Kapil Wadhawan and Director Dheeraj Wadhawan, among others, to the tune of Rs 34,615 crore, they said.

After getting input about the investment, the CBI on Saturday seized the helicopter from a hangar at the premises of builder Avinash Bhosale at Baner Road, Pune, they said.

The CBI has recently charge-sheeted Bhosale in a separate case of corruption in DHFL and Yes Bank, they said.

The federal probe agency had booked Dewan Housing Finance Ltd, the Wadhawan brothers and others on June 20 in the bank fraud case worth Rs 34,615 crore, making it the biggest such case probed by the agency, officials said.

It was alleged that they had cheated a consortium of 17 banks led by Union Bank of India by siphoning off Rs 34,615 crore bank loans by diverting them using falsified account books of DHFL.

They allegedly used shell companies and a parallel accounting system known as 'Bandra Books' to siphon off public funds in DHFL by disbursing money to fictitious entities as retail loans.

The agency acted on a complaint from Union Bank of India, the lead bank of the consortium which had extended credit facilities to the tune of Rs 42,871 crore to DHFL between 2010 and 2018.

The bank has alleged that the Wadhawans in criminal conspiracy with others misrepresented and concealed facts, and committed a criminal breach of trust to cheat the consortium by defaulting on loan repayments from May 2019 onwards.

The audit of DHFL account books showed that the company allegedly committed financial irregularities, diverted funds, fabricated books, and round-tripped funds to 'create assets for Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan' using public money.