Central government officer, wife booked again for cheating | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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Central government officer, wife booked again for cheating

ByGautam S. Mengle
Feb 05, 2023 11:10 PM IST

Earlier in 2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also booked the duo for having disproportionate assets worth ?6.79 crore.

Mumbai: An FIR was registered against Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, Vivek Batra and his wife, Priyanka, for allegedly cheating a Lower Parel-based trader of ?50 lakh. Earlier in 2017, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also booked the duo for having disproportionate assets worth ?6.79 crore.

After repeated follow-ups from 2017 to 2022, when the duo failed to repay any more of the victim’s money, he finally approached the police and on Saturday, the police booked the husband-wife duo as well as two other accomplices for cheating, criminal breach of trust and acts by several persons in furtherance of common intention under the Indian Penal Code. (HT PHOTO)
After repeated follow-ups from 2017 to 2022, when the duo failed to repay any more of the victim’s money, he finally approached the police and on Saturday, the police booked the husband-wife duo as well as two other accomplices for cheating, criminal breach of trust and acts by several persons in furtherance of common intention under the Indian Penal Code. (HT PHOTO)

As per the Malabar Hill police, this time, the FIR was registered based on a complaint filed by Bipin Agrawal, a garments trader. Agrawal had submitted an application to the police last year, which was converted into an FIR on Saturday.

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“Agrawal came into contact with Batra and his wife in 2004 when Batra was posted with the Income Tax department in Mumbai and Priyanka was running a graphic design business. Agrawal had at the time engaged Priyanka’s service as he needed some designs for his business. In 2005, Batra told Agrawal that he had set up a firm with the help of some friends, where he was the director and 99% shareholder,” said a police officer.

The officer added that Batra allegedly asked Agrawal, 52, to invest in the firm, which was supposedly dealing in real estate, and that he would get massive returns on his investments. Over the next two years, Agrawal ended up sending ?57 lakh to the Batras, in various accounts.

However, when there was no sign of any ‘returns’ by the end of 2009, Agrawal demanded his money back. The Batras assured him that the returns would start coming soon but Agrawal issued them a legal notice, after which they paid him ?7 lakh in various instalments. They also gave him a post-dated cheque for ?2 lakh, which bounced in 2013.

“On August 1, 2017, I saw news articles in newspapers stating that Batra had been booked by the CBI in a disproportionate assets case. I immediately contacted Priyanka and asked for the rest of my money but she gave me evasive replies. Hence, I issued another legal notice to them and their firm,” Agrawal said in his statement.

After repeated follow-ups from 2017 to 2022, when the Batras failed to repay any more of Agrawal’s money, he finally approached the police and on Saturday, the police booked the husband-wife duo as well as two other accomplices for cheating, criminal breach of trust and acts by several persons in furtherance of common intention under the Indian Penal Code.

A 1992-batch IRS officer, Batra was posted with the TDS section of the Income Tax department when a CBI probe against him in 2017 revealed that he had amassed disproportionate assets worth ?6.79 crore from 2008 to 2017. Subsequent investigation revealed that the Batras had taken 21 international trips in six years, with most of them being to the USA. Batra was arrested in 2010 and in 2019, the Center dismissed 12 I-T officials with links to him as well as others suspected to be in cahoots with him.

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