Four arrested in Vivo money laundering case

New Delhi, October 10

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested four persons, including the MD of the Lava International mobile company and a Chinese national, as part of its ongoing money-laundering probe against Chinese smartphone-maker Vivo, sources said on Tuesday.

They identified the four as Hari Om Rai, the MD of Lava International company, Chinese national Guangwen Kyang, chartered accountant Nitin Garg and a person called Rajan Malik. They have been taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

An e-mail sent to Lava International for its reaction did not elicit an immediate response. Lava International, a domestic mobile device manufacturing company, claims to have 1-2% share in the smartphone market. The agency had raided Vivo and its linked persons in July last year, claiming to have busted a major money-laundering racket involving Chinese nationals and multiple Indian companies.