Hyderabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked a cheating case against MBS Jewellers owner Sukesh Gupta and five officials of the Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation (MMTC) in connection with a Rs 100 crore alleged fraud.
The Central Bureau of Investigation conducted searches in the houses of Sukesh Gupta and at the offices of MBS jewellers and the Metals and Minerals Trading Corpo-ration and seized relevant documents.
The CBI’s charge is that MBS Jewellers had imported gold through the Metals and Minerals Trading Corporation and had caused a loss to the government amounting to more than `100 crore through fraudulent deposits and bank guarantees.
Sources in the Central Bureau of Investigation said that the case has been booked under 420 IPC (cheating) 409 IPC (criminal breach of trust) and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
“The MMTC is a public sector enterprise involved in gold imports. Jewellers have to mandatorily import gold through MMTC. This is a case of irregularities against MBS which was carried out in connivance with MMTC officials. The fraud took place last year,” said a Central Bureau of Investigation source.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has seized documents regarding deposits, bank guarantees and imports.
“We are ascertaining the facts behind the allegations,” said an official of the probe team.
MBS owner Sukesh Gupta was not available for comment when this newspaper tried to contact him.