EOW files 32,000-page charge sheet in PMC case

EOW officials will file a supplementary charge sheet soon. File pic

The Special investigation team of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) filed a 32,000-page charge sheet against the five accused in the Rs 6,700 crore Punjab & Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank fraud case on Friday. The charge sheet was brought in three different trunks before the Esplanade court.

Rakesh Wadhawan, Sarang Wadhawan (HDIL promoters), Joy Thomas (Former PMC Bank MD), Waryam Singh (former PMC Bank chairman) and Surjit Singh Arora (PMC Bank director) are the five accused in the case.

Commending the EOW officers for their effort, Commissioner of Police Sanjay Barve said, "The officers have prepared a comprehensive charge sheet with strong documentary evidence against all the accused and we are very sure of getting a conviction in one of the biggest banking fraud cases."

In the charge sheet, the EOW has mentioned the properties of all the accused - some of which are suspected to have been purchased from the crime proceeds. "We have kept the investigation open and will file a supplementary charge sheet soon," said Rajvardhan Joint, CP EOW.

The charge sheet has 340 witnesses, including 100 PMC bank depositors, four statements recorded under 164 CrPC before the magistrate and six statements of the RBI inspectors who inspected PMC Bank.

In the charge sheet, the EOW has also mentioned the account details of over 21,000 fictitious accounts created by Joy Thomas to hide bad loans of 44 HDIL accounts. "Around two dozen people whose identity and KYC was used by the accused to create fake accounts have been questioned. None of them were even aware of having accounts under their name with crores of rupees in PMC bank. Now they all have been mentioned as a witness in the charge sheet," an officer said.

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