VVIP chopper scandal probe gathers pace with arrest of KRBL’s Anoop Gupta

New Delhi: The money-laundering probe into the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP chopper scandal has gathered steam, after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested KRBL joint director Anoop Kumar Gupta last month, turning the spotlight yet again on the rice exporting company.

On Wednesday, Gupta was produced by the federal agency before a special CBI court, which sent him to the ED’s custody for two more days for further custodial interrogation. Previously, Gupta was remanded in ED’s custody till Wednesday.

The agency claimed to have received some fresh “documents” in December which showed that Gupta was “controlling the financial transactions” of a subsidiary of KRBL even after its stake sale in 2009.


The ED told the court that it needed to confront Gupta with “voluminous documents received through Letters Rogatory to other individuals to unearth the larger conspiracy and money trail”.

The agency last Thursday had told the court that it had summoned 32 people who needed to be confronted with Gupta. These include some other directors of the company and Gupta’s employees. However, only four have shown up so far. The ED has also claimed that while Gupta had denied certain facts, the agency had bank statements and other documents which contradicted his claims.

Gupta’s counsel has denied any wrongdoing. KRBL had said previously that it had nothing to do with the helicopter deal.

In one of its remand applications, the ED claimed that a part of the kickbacks received to allegedly swing the air force helicopter deal in favour of UK-based AgustaWestland were parked in a subsidiary of KRBL.

The subsidiary, Rawas Al Khaleej General Trading (RAKGT) Dubai, was incorporated in 2007 by KRBL DMCC, Dubai. Gupta was arrested on January 30 and was initially remanded in five days of custodial interrogation.

The agency has submitted also that in March 2009, the entire stake (49% shareholding) of KRBL DMCC held in RAKGT was transferred in the name of Gupta’s nephew, Anurag Potdar. However, the agency alleged, even after March 2009, the subsidiary was under the control of KRBL through Gupta and “part of the proceeds of crime received in M/s RAKGT were transferred to M/s KRBL Limited”.

The agency has alleged that Gupta was controlling the financial transactions of RAKGT. It also alleged that bribes were paid between 2008 and 2010 to influence the air force deal for helicopters to transport VVIP passengers.