Videocon founder Venugopal Dhoot arrested over loan fraud

New Delhi, December 26

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The CBI on Monday arrested Videocon Group founder Venugopal Dhoot in Mumbai after questioning him in connection with the ICICI Bank loan fraud case, officials said.

The agency had earlier arrested former CEO and MD of ICICI Bank Chanda Kochhar and her husband Deepak Kochhar in connection with the same case.

The officials said all three suspects in the case were produced before a special court in Mumbai, which remanded them in CBI custody till December 28. The three-day remand of the Kochhars, arrested on December 23, ended today.

The CBI was planning to file a chargesheet against the three and other suspects soon, they said. The agency had taken into custody Chanda Kochhar and Deepak alleging that they were not cooperating with the investigation and were giving evasive replies.

Chanda Kochhar has denied knowledge of any pecuniary transactions between her husband and Dhoot, which the agency had claimed during remand proceedings before a CBI special court in Mumbai on December 24. The CBI had named the Kochhars and Dhoot, along with companies Nupower Renewables, Supreme Energy, Videocon International Electronics Ltd and Videocon Industries Limited, as accused in the FIR registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act, the officials said.

The CBI had alleged in its FIR that ICICI Bank had sanctioned credit facilities to the tune of Rs 3,250 crore to the companies of the Videocon Group promoted by Dhoot in violation of the Banking Regulation Act, RBI guidelines and credit policy of the bank.