Sheena Bora murder: ED says Peter, Indrani Mukerjea siphoned £90 million from INX Media

Former media baron Peter Mukerjea and his wife Indrani have allegedly siphoned off 90 million Great Britain pounds, out of INX Media, and the money has gone to overseas countries through hawala channels, claimed Enforcement Directorate (ED) which is probing the money laundering case.

ED’s counsel Hiten Venegaokar on Thursday filed an application before the special CBI court seeking permission to record Indrani’s statement in INX Media case. The court accordingly allowed ED to record her statement at Byculla jail.

In the application, the agency said, “Illicit funds gathered by Peter Mukerjea and Indrani have been siphoned off to unknown overseas destinations and routed back to UK and India through Mauritius-based foreign investors.”

The application added that Peter’s son Rabin is handling the funds purportedly held in the form of bonds in New Zealand.It said, “We said Rabin Mukerjea has ownership/association of 3 bank accounts in Royal Bank of Scotland and accounts in ANZ Bank, and a company, Grant Central Entertainment LLP, UK.”

The agency said it needed details of bank accounts in UK and persons handling it for further investigation of the case. INX Media had filed an application on March 13, 2007 with the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), Ministry of Finance, and Government of India seeking permission to receive funds from foreign investors. FIPB, on May 31, 2007 permitted it to receive foreign investments of Rs 42.2 million approximately as total investment inflow including premium.

INX Media, however, received foreign investment totalling to Rs 3,053.6 million between August 22, 2007 to May 12, 2008. Thus, excess foreign exchange equivalent to Rs 3,004.4 million beyond the disclosed and permitted foreign investment was received by INX Media from three Mauritius-based foreign investors.