Fresh ED case against Rana Kapoor for buying Delhi bungalow

New Delhi: In more trouble for arrested Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor and his wife Bindu Kapoor, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a fresh case of money laundering against them for allegedly obtaining Rs 307 crore bribe from a realty firm routed through the purchase of a bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi at half the market price.

A senior ED official related to the probe told IANS: “The fresh case has been registered on the basis of the second case registered by the CBI against the couple and Avantha Realty promoter Gautam Thapar for buying the 40, Amrita Shergill Marg property in the national capital.”

The couple has been booked under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), in the second case filed by the ED in 10 days.

The central financial probe agency official alleged that the bribe was paid to the Kapoors for facilitating around Rs 1,900 crore loans from Yes Bank to the realty firm and delaying their recovery.

The officials said the ED has gathered a number of financial documents related to the ownership, sale and mortgaging of the costly bungalow.

The CBI had last week filed the FIR against the Kapoors for allegedly obtaining Rs 307 crore bribe through the purchase of this bungalow from a realty firm at half the market price and facilitating around Rs 1,900 crore bank loans to it in return.

The CBI suspects that the discounted transaction for the 1.2 acre-bungalow on Amrita Shergill Marg was a gratification to Kapoor through the company Bliss Abode Pvt Ltd in return for non-realisation of over Rs 1,900 crore in loans from Yes Bank to Gautam Thapar-promoted Avantha Realty and group companies, they said.

Kapoor’s wife is one of the two directors of Bliss Abode Pvt Ltd.

The CBI also carried out searches at the residence and office of Kapoor, his wife in Mumbai, Bliss Abode, offices of Avantha Realty and others in Delhi and NCR.

It was alleged that Kapoor bought the bungalow at Rs 378 crore, paying through Bliss Abode and the property was immediately mortgaged to Indiabulls Housing Finance Limited for a loan of Rs 685 crore.

Rana Kapoor was arrested by the ED on March 8 and is at present in its custody till March 20.

IANS