financetom
Business
financetom
/
Business
/
ED seizes Rs 25 crore worth of cash, jewellery from Hero MotoCorp's Pawan Munjal, others
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
ED seizes Rs 25 crore worth of cash, jewellery from Hero MotoCorp's Pawan Munjal, others
Aug 2, 2023 12:46 PM

Foreign and Indian currencies and gold and diamond jewellery worth about Rs 25 crore apart from "incriminating" documents were seized after raids on Hero MotoCorp executive chairperson Pawan Kant Munjal and some others, the Enforcement Directorate said on Wednesday.

Share Market Live

NSE

The federal agency raided the residence and offices of the 69-year-old billionaire businessman, the promoter of India's largest two-wheeler automobiles manufacturer, in Delhi and neighbouring Gurugram apart from that of some other entities on Tuesday as part of a money laundering investigation against them.

It did not elaborate on the exact amount of seizure made from each of those raided.

While the automobile company did not offer an immediate comment, it had said on Tuesday that they were "extending all cooperation" to the ED.

Foreign and Indian currencies and gold and diamond jewellery (including foreign origin gold) worth about Rs 25 crore apart from "incriminating" documents, hard disks and mobiles were seized from the residential and business premises of Munjal, Hemant Dahiya, K R Raman, Hero MotoCorp Limited and Hero Fincorp Limited, the agency said.

The ED case, registered under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), stems from a charge sheet of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), an investigation arm of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), filed before a Delhi Court under section 135 of the Customs Act (evasion of duty or prohibitions).

The DRI prosecution complaint was filed on charges of "carrying, attempting to export and illicit export of prohibited items i.e. foreign currency" against P K Munjal, a third party service provider company called SEMPL and individuals identified as Amit Bali, Hemant Dahiya, K R Raman and some others.

The ED said Salt Experience and Management Pvt. Ltd. (SEMPL) "illegally exported foreign currency equivalent to about Rs 54 crore to various countries during the period 2014-2015 to 2018-2019 which was ultimately used for personal expenses of P K Munjal."

SEMPL, it alleged, got issued foreign exchange to the tune of about Rs 14 crore in the name of its officials/employees like Hemant Dahiya, Mudit Aggarwal, Amit Makker, Gautam Kumar, Vikram Bajaj and Ketan Kakkar over and above the annual permissible limit of USD 2,50,000 in various financial years.

SEMPL has also drawn foreign exchange/travel forex card in huge amount in the name of other employees who didn't even travel abroad, it said.

"Investigation found that one of the key associate of P K Munjal managed to illegally export approximately Rs 40 crore worth of foreign currency for meeting the expenses of P K Munjal during his personal or business foreign trips," it claimed.

Hero MotoCorp became the world's largest two-wheeler manufacturer in 2001 in terms of unit volume sales in a calendar year and has maintained the title for the past 20 consecutive years.

The company has its presence across 40 countries in Asia, Africa, and South and Central America.

Hero MotoCorp said on its official website that "over the past 10 years, the company has rapidly expanded its capacity, geographic footprint, customer touch points and R&D capabilities to emerge as a truly global brand." The automobile giant and Munjal were also raided by the Income Tax Department in March last year as part of a tax evasion investigation.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes, the administrative authority for the I-T department, had then said that during these searches, the taxman found alleged illegal business expenses of over Rs 800 crore and records showing that Rs 60 crore worth "unaccounted" cash used to purchase land in Delhi and the role of some shell (dubious) companies.

The automobile company had then said in a regulatory filing that it was a "law-abiding corporate, with robust internal financial controls" and its "financial statements are duly audited".

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
SJVN secures 200-MW wind power project at ₹3.24 per unit
SJVN secures 200-MW wind power project at ₹3.24 per unit
Nov 16, 2023
Projected to generate 482 million units in its inaugural year post-commissioning, the cumulative energy generation over a 25-year span is anticipated to reach 12,050 million units. Shares of SJVN Ltd ended at ₹75.17, down by ₹0.50, or 0.66%, on the BSE.
This sustainable jewellery brand is luring some women away from gold
This sustainable jewellery brand is luring some women away from gold
Oct 30, 2023
Aulerth's offerings range from ₹5,000 to as high as ₹2.8 lakh. Are women willing to spend this much on jewellery made from scrap? Founder and CEO Vivek Ramabhadran definitely believes so. Aulerth produces couture-inspired pieces in association with designers like JJ Valaya, Suneet Varma, among others. It has reported 33% repeat customers in the past year and expects a spike to 40% soon.
Suzlon's S144–3 MW wind turbines get big boost from Indian government
Suzlon's S144–3 MW wind turbines get big boost from Indian government
Nov 15, 2023
Th Suzlon wind turbines received the RLMM (Revised List of Models & Manufacturers) listing from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, marking an important milestone for the successful commercialisation of the product. Shares of Suzlon Energy Ltd ended at ₹40.49, up by ₹1.85, or 4.79%, on the BSE.
Tata Power Renewable Energy wins 200-MW project in collaboration with SJVN
Tata Power Renewable Energy wins 200-MW project in collaboration with SJVN
Nov 28, 2023
The firm and dispatchable renewable energy (FDRE) project, designed with a hybrid of solar, wind, and battery storage, is aimed at providing a stable and dispatchable energy supply during peak hours. Shares of Tata Power Company Ltd ended at ₹270.75, up by ₹12.60, or 4.88%, on the BSE.
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved