February 2: In an affidavit filed before the Bombay High Court today, assistant director of Enforcement, Mumbai, Rajendra Kumar, has denied allegations that officers of the directorate searched the shop cum office premises of Kapoor Jewellers at Memonwada Road on January 6 out of vendetta or animosity, as claimed by R K Jain, the shop owner.Kumar said the raid was conducted after receiving a tip-off from an informer on the same day, and the allegation that demands had been made from the owners on the eve of New Year is false.
R K Jain has alleged in a petition that the search was conducted without a search warrant, and employees of his shop were made to act as pancha witnesses. Kumar, however, stated that the assistant enforcement officer was carrying a search warrant signed by him at the time of the search. Jain also claimed that the officers seized Rs 6,40,000, of which Rs 5,50,000 was being carried by one of his employees along with a voucher of the company, and a cheque of Rs 75,00,000.
While Jainexplained the amount of Rs 75,00,000 as part of a gift made by his sister-in-law, Jayanti Manoj Jain which had been pit in the business of Kapoor Jewellers, the ED alleged that Parasmal Jain, manager of the Kapoors, has made a statement to the ED on January 7 that R K Jain and he himself had been effecting hawala transactions.
Parasmal Jain has allegedly also said Rs 33,75,000 had been received by them very recently, and payments to various persons were made on instructions of one Jagdishchand Makwana of Dubai. He has also stated that Manoj Kumar, brother of R K Jain, had been detained under COFEPOSA in the past. While Jain had sought several interim reliefs in the petition, the court, while admitting the petition, has only allowed Jain to break open the locks on the shop, as the shop lock was not under seal.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
