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By:

Rajendra Joshi

3 December 2024 at 3:50:26 am

Kolhapur cop sets new standard for investigations

Yogesh Kumar Gupta Kolhapur: When a police officer takes genuine interest in securing justice for citizens duped in financial fraud, investigations can move swiftly enough to lift the crushing burden off affected families. Kolhapur Superintendent of Police Yogesh Kumar Gupta has demonstrated precisely that. His firm and sensitive handling of a cheating case ensured relief for Akshay Deepak Dhale, a young entrepreneur from Kolhapur who had fallen prey to a Rajkot-based company that allegedly...

Kolhapur cop sets new standard for investigations

Yogesh Kumar Gupta Kolhapur: When a police officer takes genuine interest in securing justice for citizens duped in financial fraud, investigations can move swiftly enough to lift the crushing burden off affected families. Kolhapur Superintendent of Police Yogesh Kumar Gupta has demonstrated precisely that. His firm and sensitive handling of a cheating case ensured relief for Akshay Deepak Dhale, a young entrepreneur from Kolhapur who had fallen prey to a Rajkot-based company that allegedly promised to secure large government loans for business expansion. Gupta’s intervention compelled company representatives to travel to Kolhapur and assure repayment of the money collected, effectively forcing them onto the back foot. Dhale, a resident of Sadar Bazaar, had dreamt of expanding his late father’s small printing business after losing him during the Covid-19 pandemic. Lured by promises of securing a multi-crore loan under a Central government scheme, he transferred ₹69 lakh — raised from nearly 15 friends and relatives — to the company’s account. The loan, however, never materialised. When Dhale began making inquiries, he was met with evasive responses. The financial shock left the family devastated. Initial attempts to seek police help reportedly went nowhere, with the matter labelled as “non-criminal” and dismissed at the preliminary stage. Acting on advice, the family approached the district police chief directly. Gupta’s decisive stand altered the course of the case, leading to concrete assurances of refund from the company. However, a far larger challenge now looms before the Kolhapur police chief. Across Kolhapur — and reportedly other parts of Maharashtra — several Marathi youths claim to have been duped by a Morbi-based businessman who allegedly promises to set up “innovative” enterprises for aspiring entrepreneurs. The scale of the alleged fraud runs into crores of rupees. The businessman, said to be linked to a major tile industry in Morbi, is accused of luring youngsters through social media promotions and advertorials in prominent English dailies. Contracts are structured to appear transparent and legitimate. Prospective entrepreneurs are promised exclusive access to novel business models, often involving products sourced from Chinese markets, complete with projected marketing strategies and attractive feature lists. According to victims, payments are collected upfront, but the products eventually supplied lack the promised specifications and hold negligible market value. Several youths across Maharashtra are believed to have suffered losses. Those who have confronted the accused allege they were threatened with defamation suits and warned that a team of “expert lawyers” would ensure their financial and reputational ruin if complaints were filed. While some victims have resigned themselves to debt and despair, others who attempted to pursue police complaints claim they were turned away. For many of these young entrepreneurs, SP Yogesh Kumar Gupta represents a ray of hope. If he chooses to take up the matter with the same resolve demonstrated earlier, it could not only restore faith among affected youths but also send a strong deterrent message to fraudsters operating under the guise of innovation-driven enterprise.

Come and face the law: HC to Vijay Mallya

Mumbai: In a strong sign of judicial impatience, the Bombay High Court asked the absconder liquor baron Vijay Vittal Mallya to ‘come back to India and face the law' instead of challenging it from London, where he is currently living.

 

A division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad took exception to Mallya’s attempts to question the validity of the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018 without first submitting to or facing the Indian courts.

 

“You have to come back. If you cannot come back, then we cannot hear this plea,” the court said bluntly, during a hearing of Mallya’s petition challenging the proceedings that have declared him a fugitive economic offender and the constitutional validity of the FEO Act, 2018.

 

The court’s stern remarks followed an earlier order of Dec. 23 when it had directed Mallya to file an affidavit stating when he plans to return to India from the UK.

 

The court had made it clear that his challenge to the FEO Act would not be heard unless he first submitted to the court’s jurisdiction.

 

However, Mallya not only failed to specify his return date but also went ahead with his legal challenge without complying with the court directives.

 

“You are avoiding the process of the court, so you cannot take advantage of the present petition challenging the FEO Act,” said the court to Senior Advocate Amit Desai appearing for Mallya.

 

Representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta informed the court that Mallya had filed an affidavit claiming the banks were wrong to demand the money (dues) from him and was attempting to turn the case into recovery proceedings.

 

Mehta pointed out that Mallya had challenged the FEO Act, 2018, only after becoming a fugitive and while India was completing his extradition proceedings in London. He submitted that Mallya could come to India and argue everything but he should have faith in the Indian laws to claim equity.

 

“He can come and discuss everything – that ‘I am ready to pay, not ready to pay, not liable to pay’, etc. But he cannot ‘not’ trust the laws of this country and still invoke equity jurisdiction,” said Mehta emphatically.

 

When Desai argued that the nature of the statute permitted a hearing even in the petitioner’s absence, the court reminded him that a specific direction to state (Mallya’s) date of return was already on the record.

 

“In fairness to you, we are not dismissing it. We are giving you another opportunity,” said the bench, posting it for hearing next week.

 

The judges cautioned that if Mallya continued to ignore the court’s earlier order, they would be compelled to pass an order of ‘non-compliance’ if he failed to comply at the next hearing.

 

Time running out?

The once flamboyant and self-proclaimed ‘King of Good Times’ Mallya, 70, slipped out of India in March 2016 following huge debts piling up after the collapse of the Kingfisher Airlines, with a consortium of 17 Indian banks claiming default of over Rs 9000-crore loans.

 

The two-time MP also faced multiple probes from the Income Tax Department, ED, Central Bureau of Investigation and in 2019, he was declared a fugitive economic offender, which he has challenged. However, Mallya has claimed that he has repaid Rs. 14,000-cr. to banks against the loan dues of Rs 6,200-cr.

 

India moved for Mallya’s extradition which was cleared but the process has been stuck in delays.

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