Kickbacks-for-loans scam: CBI registers Preliminary Enquiry against D B Realty

MUMBAI: In fresh trouble for Shahid Balwa's D B Realty, the CBI, probing into the kickbacks-for-loans scam estimated at around Rs 12,000 crore, has registered a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) against the company on charges of availing loan without fulfilling norms.

During investigations into the scam in which several senior officials of public sector financial institutions were arrested, the economic offences wing of CBI was also looking into the involvement of private companies which were beneficiaries.

While the agency did not reveal the involvement of the companies in the charge sheets filed in the five cases, an enquiry has been initiated against D B Realty for allegedly availing loan of Rs 300 crore without fulfilling the eligibility rules, official sources said.

The PE was registered after CBI stumbled upon the balance sheet of D B Realty which allegedly did not match with the real figures. According to senior CBI officials, numbers had been inflated through forged documents.

In its response, DB Realty said in a statement that it had provided all documents as requested by the CBI and is cooperating fully. "However, at this stage, we cannot disclose the subject matter or details of what has been shared with the CBI," it said.

The real estate company also sought to clarify that there has been no allegation of inflation of net worth, forgery of documents or the company not meeting the qualification parameters for the loan availed, as alleged.