EOW summons auditors from five firms for questioning in New India case

Mumbai: The EOW, probing the Rs 122 crore cash missing case at the New India Cooperative Bank, has now summoned auditors from five different firms for questioning. It has so far arrested three people in this case. "We are in the process of recording the statement of an auditor, Abhijit Deshmukh. We issued summons to more auditors who did statutory audit, concurrent audit, and internal audit during the period 2019-2024. We will question them about the case and will get more information," said an EOW officer.The auditors summoned from the companies/firms include UG Devi and Company, Gandhi and Associate LLP, Shinde Nayak and Associates, Jain Tripathi and Company, and SI Mogul and Company. The police said they recorded the statement of an official from the bank, who told them that the capacity of the two safes at the Goregaon office and Prabhadevi office of the bank was Rs 10 crore each. As of Feb 11, the cash at the two offices, as per record, was shown as Rs 133.41 crore. Only Rs 60 lakh was found from the Prabhadevi office, and Rs 10.53 crore was found at the Goregaon office. There was a shortfall of a total of Rs 122.28 crore from the two offices," said an EOW officer. While the capacity of the safe was Rs 10 crore, cash kept in the Prabhadevi office was shown as more than Rs 122 crore.The misappropriation of funds came to light after a team of RBI officials inspected the bank on Feb 12 and found Rs 122 crore, accounting for 5% of the bank's deposits, missing. RBI placed the bank under a moratorium the next day, and the police registered an FIR.The EOW has so far arrested the bank's general manager and head of accounts, Hitesh Mehta (57), a developer Dharmesh Paun (57), and the bank's former CEO Abhaimnyu Bhoan (45) in the case. All three are currently in police custody.
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