The former vice chairman of New India Co-operative Bank, Hiren Bhanu, has defended himself in a letter to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) through his lawyer, Sajal Yadav, claiming innocence in the alleged Rs 122 crore scam. He stated that his wife’s abroad trip was pre-planned and did not constitute fleeing the country. He also clarified that he has been residing abroad for the last 30 years and is currently in the UAE. mid-day had earlier reported that Gauri Bhanu went to Thailand just three days before the scam came to light while Hiren Bhanu had been in UAE since January 26. 

Bhanu-Mehta exchanges

Bhanu recounted that on February 12, he received a call informing him that 10–12 RBI officials had unexpectedly arrived at the bank’s head office in Prabhadevi, Mumbai. Former CEO Abhimanyu Bhoan, who was on leave that day, was also unaware of the visit. Bhanu immediately contacted senior staff members, who informed him that RBI officers had restricted entry to senior officials and instructed the IT department to revoke email access. Bhanu expressed concerns about data mishandling, as crucial documents needed for his defence were stored in his emails.