Elderly Kashmiri Pandit couple assault accused was booked last year in Mumbai money laundering case
Srinagar, Jan 8, KNT: The main accused involved in the recent assault on an elderly Kashmiri Pandit couple in Srinagar’s Rajbagh area had been booked last year in a major cheating and money laundering case in Mumbai, police records reveal.
Police in Srinagar have already taken cognizance of the assault incident in which Vivek Batra, a dismissed former Indian Revenue Service officer, along with six associates, allegedly entered the residential premises of Ashok Toshkhanai and his wife Kusum and assaulted members of the family. The accused reportedly arrived in two vehicles and also attempted to set the house on fire, triggering panic in the locality.
During the incident, several women sustained injuries and were shifted to hospital, where their condition has been stated to be stable. Police said swift action was taken, the accused were arrested, and a case was registered under relevant sections of law. Further investigation is underway to establish individual roles.
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Police officials said Vivek Batra has a history of serious criminal allegations. In Mumbai, the Cuffe Parade Police had last year registered a criminal case against him, his wife Priyanka, and two private bank employees in connection with alleged cheating, forgery, and money laundering.
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According to the Police, the case was registered following a complaint by Prakash Rana, a Delhi resident who earlier worked for Batra. The complainant alleged that Batra misused his personal documents on the pretext of opening a provident fund account and subsequently used them to float multiple shell companies and open bank accounts to launder money. Two bank employees, identified as Nirav Taj and Ajit Mishra, were also booked for allegedly facilitating the opening of these accounts without proper verification.
The complainant further alleged that when he refused to resign from his job, Batra and his associates confined his family members in servant quarters, forcing Delhi Police to intervene and rescue them.
Officials said Batra and his wife were also booked in 2023 for allegedly cheating a Lower Parel based trader of Rs 50 lakh. Earlier, in 2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation had registered a case against the couple for possessing disproportionate assets worth Rs 6.79 crore, a case that eventually led to Batra’s dismissal from government service on grounds of serious misconduct and corruption.
In the Mumbai case, the accused have been booked under Sections 318 for cheating, 336 for forgery, 338 for forgery of valuable security, and 340 for forgery involving electronic records under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The police in Srinagar said strict legal action will follow in the Rajbagh assault case based on the outcome of the ongoing investigation. [KNT]
