ED quizzes 4 jailed aides of pvt co owner

LUCKNOW: A team of enforcement directorate (ED) interrogated four jailed associates of the owner of Anee Bullion and Industries pvt ltd in connection with a Rs 600 crore scam. Those questioned were Santosh Gupta, Dharmendra Kaushal, Ajay Upadhyay and Anjani Kaushal. They are named in 33 FIRs registered in different parts of the state and held various posts in the company.

Sources said the four were facilitators of fake schemes floated by Anee Bullion owner Ajit Kumar Gupta. ED has also asked Ajit's wife Niharika Singh, who is an Indian Foreign Service officer, to appear before ED and get her statement recorded by July 10.

ED said that the company first floated many ponzi schemes in various places of UP through various companies Anee Bullion Traders, Anee Commodity Brokers Private limited, Eye Vision India Credit Co-operative Society Limited, Anee Bullion Industries, along with several others.

The four accused, who were company representatives, used to lure people to invest in the company promising them high returns, even in the form of plots. They had even gone on to issue post-dated cheques to convince the investors. However, when the cheques bounced, they got apprehensive," said ED sources.

Sources in the ED said that they have revealed about some others who were involved with Anee Bullion company and dubious transactions via shell companies were allegedly made by them. The sources added that the four had revealed about other businesses conducted by Ajit through unfair means which will also be investigated.

ED officials privy to the probe also said that neither the company returned the invested amount nor gave any plots as promised to the investors.


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