RNI NO.: DELENG/2005/15351 millenniumpost.in REGD. NO.: DL(S)-01/3420/2018-20 PUBLISHED FROM DELHI & KOLKATA VOL. 13, ISSUE 48 | Saturday, 17 February 2018 | New Delhi | Pages 16 | Rs 3.00 NO HALF TRUTHS qNIFTY 10,452.30 (-93.20) qSENSEX 34,010.76 (-286.71) pDOW JONES 25,262.79 (+62.42) pNASDAQ 7271.73 (+15.30) pRUPEE/DOLLAR 64.21 (-0.21) qRUPEE/EURO 79.94 (-0.17) qGOLD/10GM 31,820 (+170.00) pSILVER/K 39,380 (+590.00) DON’T OBSTRUCT UP GOVT TO CHINA PUTS WAR ON ‘IT IS TOUGH TO VC, STAFF FROM FOCUS ON POLLUTION ABOVE MATCH TIGER’S WORKING: HC TO HEALTH, TRADITION IN LUNAR ENERGY’ JNU STUDENTS PG4 FARMERS PG5 NEW YEAR PG10 PG16 GEETANJALI GROUP CHEATED PNB OF `4,886 CRORE: CBI It began in UPA regime, says Passports of Nirav Modi, Mehul BJP; Cong in Udaan barb SIMONTINI BHATTACHARJEE NEW DELHI: The war of words Choksi suspended; raids go on between the Congress and the BJP over the Rs 11,300 crore Punjab National OUR CORRESPONDENT Highlights Bank scam turned shriller on Friday. » Searches continue across The BJP hit out at the Congress, NEW DELHI: The passports retorting that the scam had actually of celebrity jeweller Nirav Modi showrooms and offices “started during UPA’s reign in 2011.” and his business associate Mehul » CBI approaches Interpol to “It is the alertness of the NDA gov- Choksi have been suspended amid locate Nirav Modi ernment which has brought this scam investigations into the Rs. 11,300 to light,” said Union minister Prakash crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) » PNB suspends 8 more Javadekar. scam. Their passports could be officials “All the NPAs, the wrongful distri- cancelled if they do not return to bution of loans, amongst others were India within four weeks. » Diamond and gold worth all passed down to us by the UPA gov- The Congress, in an earlier press The CBI on Friday also regis- Rs 549 crore were seized, ernment. This is a scam by the bank conference, alleged that what it calls tered a fresh FIR against the Gitan- bringing the total recovery and not the government,” he charged. “India’s biggest bank loot scam” has jali Group promoted by Mehul to Rs 5649 crore The BJP also referred to Dinesh now grown to the tune of Rs 21,306 Choksi, uncle of billionaire jewel- Dubey, a former director of the Alla- crore, as “layers of conspiracy get ler Nirav Modi, following a com- » ED issues summons to Nirav habad Bank, who on Friday alleged that unearthed by the hour.” plaint from Punjab National Bank, Modi and uncle Mehul Choksi the Nirav Modi scam started during the “No wonder ‘Udaan’ is the buzz- and also approached the Interpol UPA government. word of Modi government, wherein to locate them. Twenty-nine immovable proper- Dubey also claimed he resigned every scamster can fleece and fly - Officials said the fresh FIR was ties were also identified during the from his post after being pressured unchecked and undetected,” mocked based on a complaint from the raids. to approve a loan, purportedly hav- party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala. PNB dated February 13. Accord- ED team raids the Viviana Mall after a complaint filed by Punjab National Bank over Nirav Modi's fraud case, in Thane PTI ED also directed Nirav Modi's ing to do with Mehul Choksi’s Gitan- Surjewala demanded to know how ing to it, the alleged loss to PNB company head office to make sure jali Gems. the scam had “escaped everyone’s atten- was over Rs 4,886 crore, they said. The officials also said the cen- carried out fraudulent transac- in connivance with Modi and the that "no sales should take place at “Finance secretary during UPA’s tion”, despite every bank having to go The agency on Friday also car- tral agency approached the Inter- tions worth over Rs 11,400 crore other accused in the case, the offi- its four outlets abroad - Macau, regime, instead of taking action, forced through four kinds of audit. ried out searches on the premises pol with a request for issuing in PNB, had left the country in the cials said. Beijing, New York and London". Dinesh Dubey to resign. We are asking “Obviously, someone was protect- of the Gitanjali Group at 20 places Diffusion Notice which was aimed first week of January. The ED on Friday issued a sum- Punjab National Bank has sus- who pressurised the finance secretary ing this network of fraud,” he charged. in Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Jaipur, at locating an individual. The question as to why the mons for appearance to billionaire pended eight more officials, includ- to pressurise Dinesh Dubey,” Javadekar The Congress reiterated its claim Hyderabad and Coimbatore. The CBI was confident about PNB did not send a complaint to diamond merchant Nirav Modi ing one at the general manager questioned. about the culpability of the BJP-led gov- "Searches are at locations getting a location of Modi and his the CBI and decided to give it in and his business partner Mehul level, for their suspected involve- Former banking secretary Rajiv ernment at the Centre, including the belonging to Gitanjali group of family by Friday, they said. tranches is also under the scanner Choksi in connection with its ment in the multi-crore scam, a Takru, however, refuted the allegations, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Mehul Choksy, other directors of However, in a related devel- of the agency, they said. money laundering probe. senior government official said. saying: “I met this person only once in In a scathing attack on Thursday, the accused companies and other opment English news channels The bank has claimed in three Thirty-five new locations were The official also said that PNB my life. He had come to my office to the party had alleged that the PMO group factories and plants includ- claimed to have tracked down the complaints to the CBI that so raided, covering 11 states, by the will repay other banks their dues resign in 2013. The reason for the res- was informed about the alleged fraud ing offices, factories and resi- billionaire jeweller to a swanky far it has detected 150 Letters of ED. Diamond and gold worth Rs by March 31 and would be funded ignation was that he was unhappy over perpetrated by billionaire jewellery dences," a CBI spokesperson said New York hotel on Friday. Undertaking (LoUs) which were 549 crore were seized, bringing from internal resources. something. I accepted his resignation. I designer Nirav Modi in July 2016, but here on Friday. Modi, who was alleged to have fraudulently issued by its officials the total recovery to Rs 5649 crore. See also inside have never spoken to him.” had failed to act in the matter. PM'S MANTRA TO BEAT EXAM STRESS Chandrayaan-2 Rlys to do away Andhra Pradesh: Seven workers launch in April, to aim Compete with yourself: with reservation for moon’s south pole charts on trains die of asphyxiation inside drain JITENDRA SINGH PM Modi tells students from March 1 MPOST BUREAU quarters Hospital in Chittoor, DHIRENDRA KUMAR they said. On trial basis AMARAVATI: At least seven Andhra Pradesh Deputy In today’s NEW DELHI: At a first of its kind workers of a private hatchery Chief Minister N Chinaraj- interactive session with students, MPOST BUREAU died of asphyxiation inside a appa, who also handles the paper Prime Minister Narendra Modi pre- drain in Chittoor district of Home portfolio, expressed grief sented himself as a friend of students, NEW DELHI: The railway Andhra Pradesh this morn- over the incident and spoke to CITY ... their parents and family members ministry has directed its ing, the police said. the Chittoor district Superin- instead of a Prime Minister of the zones to discontinue past- The incident occurred tendent of Police about it. MONTHLY TRAINING FOR TEACHERS 3 country and complimented them for ing reservation charts on when one of the workers got Meanwhile, the police have NATION being “born politicians”. reserved coaches of all trains into the drain at the hatchery broke open the drain's hatch launched a manhunt for the Before taking questions from the at A1, A and B category sta- premises in Palamaneru man- and pulled out the trapped hatchery manager who is on ROUHANI VISITS QUTUB SHAHI TOMBS 7 students during Pariksha Par Char- tions as a pilot project for six dal, for cleaning it. As he fell workers. Four of them died the run following the deaths. cha, the PM said that it was his exam months from March 1, an unconscious due to asphyxi- on the spot, while three others An investigation into the OPINION today and thanked his teachers for official statement said today. ation, eight other workers got died while undergoing treat- incident is underway, the police whom he is “still a student”. “They However, physical and down to rescue him and suf- ment, the police said. said, adding, according to their WHERE FORGERY WINS 9 inspired me to keep the student alive digital display of charts will fered the same fate, they said, One worker regained con- initial assessment there was INTERNATIONAL in me,” Modi said. continue at the platforms, the adding the sewer had chemi- sciousness following treatment "serious negligence" on the part “Just forget about that I’m a Prime ministry statement said. cal residue. and was stated to be stable, of the hatchery management in THREE TURKEY SCRIBES GET LIFERS 11 Minister and consider me as a friend Based on the income Residents of nearby Morum while another worker was ensuring adequate safety mea- of yours; discuss whatever you want,” from passengers, the rail- village rushed to the hatchery, shifted to the District Head- sures at the site.