City cops lend helping hand to Scotland Yard

The Mumbai police crime branch has extended its cooperation to the Scotland Yard in the investigation into a 200 million pound sterling cheating and money laundering case which is spread across three continents.

The Mumbai police crime branch has extended its cooperation to the Scotland Yard in the investigation into a 200 million pound sterling cheating and money laundering case which is spread across three continents.

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The main accused in the case is an NRI who had been arrested by the British police and is presently out on bail.

Highly placed crime branch sources told HT that two detective constables from the Economic Offences Division of the New Scotland Yard called on senior crime branch officials on Monday, seeking assistance in the investigation.

Additional commissioner of police, crime, Deven Bharati confirmed the meeting and said, “we are fully cooperating with them in the investigation of the case.”

Crime branch sources said London-based solicitor Badresh Gohil has been accused by the Scotland Yard of diverting 200 million pound sterling, belonging to a highly placed government official from Nigeria, and investing them in the Mumbai’s reality market.

Gohil has been accused of transferring the money through Hawala network and buying properties in Mumbai in the name of his father and other family members without intimating the British government.

Gohil’s father lives in Mumbai. One of these properties, a flat, had allegedly been sold to a former model, who is a leading Bollywood actress, at a premium some years ago. The Crime Branch is trying to access property documents to ascertain the bonafides of its previous owners and his financial sources.