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Months after Interpol removed a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, the CBI has filed a fresh chargesheet against him for allegedly pledging lab-grown diamonds valued at 98 per cent less than what was projected for getting a loan of Rs 25 crore from the IFCI in 2016, officials said.
In its chargesheet filed before a special CBI court in Mumbai recently, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleged that Choksi’s firm Gitanjali Gems took the loan from the Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) by pledging 896 pieces of studded jewellery, which were valued at more than Rs 45 crore by government-approved valuers.
Once the loan account turned a non-performing asset (NPA), the IFCI moved to realise the pledged jewellery, but came to a rude shock after fresh valuations showed that their value was 98 per cent less than what was projected at the time of applying for the loan, the officials said.
