Former IRS officer Vivek Batra, wife booked in Mumbai money laundering case
Shell firms opened using employee’s documents, bank staff also named
Mumbai, Jan 8, KNT: Mumbai Police have registered a fresh criminal case against dismissed former Indian Revenue Service officer Vivek Batra, his wife Priyanka, and two private bank employees in connection with alleged cheating, forgery and money laundering, officials said on Thursday.
According to police, the case was registered by Cuffe Parade Police following a complaint by Prakash Rana, a resident of Delhi, who previously worked for Vivek 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 for laundering money.
Police said the two bank employees, identified as Nirav Taj and Ajit Mishra, posted at a private bank branch in Colaba, have also been booked for their alleged role in facilitating the opening of accounts for the shell companies without proper verification.
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In his complaint, Rana stated that he was asked to resign from his job in 2023. When he refused, he alleged that Batra and his associates confined his family members in servant quarters. The matter escalated to such an extent that Delhi Police had to intervene to rescue his family.
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Officials said this is not the first criminal case against Vivek Batra and his wife. In 2023, the couple was booked for allegedly cheating a Lower Parel based trader of Rs 50 lakh. Earlier, in 2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation had also registered a case against them for possessing disproportionate assets worth Rs 6.79 crore, which eventually led to Batra’s dismissal from service.
In the present 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.
Police said further investigation is underway to trace the money trail, identify additional shell entities, and determine the exact role of each accused in the alleged financial crimes. [KNT]
