Rashpal Todd (L) and Mandhir Singh Todd. (IE)

Two directors of a car dealership company were arrested by Delhi Police on Friday while they were waiting at the airport here to flee the country after allegedly defrauding the banks. According to a report in The Indian Express, the two identified as – Rashpal Todd (57) and Mandhir Singh Todd (33), were detained at the Delhi airport by the immigration department and later arrested by police. Reportedly, they were to board a flight bound for Birmingham, UK.

It said that they had obtained loans from banks to the tune of Rs 140 crore since 2008 by providing forged documents.

“We got a tip-off that the two were planning on leaving the country so we informed the immigration department and on identification, they were arrested. We have taken their remand and the two are currently being questioned,” Indian Express quoted Additional Commissioner of Police (EOW) Suvashis Choudhary as saying.

The luxury car dealership company, Zenica Cars India Pvt Ltd, has dealerships in the national capital and Gurugram where Audi and Porsche cars are sold. It is alleged that the company availed loans under different pretexts from various banks. However, in June, when the HDFC bank conducted a comprehensive stock audit and asked the accused to send their financial documents, it was revealed that the businessmen had misrepresented the balance owed to J& K bank as on June 19, 2018.

The accused had approached the HDFC bank in 2008 and secured credit facilities. However, they were unable to repay their dues. Instead, they forged their balance sheets showing profits while on the contrary, they were making losses for the past four years.

The HDFC bank approached Economic Offences Wing of the police with the complaint and an FIR was registered on August 29. As per the FIR, the stock audit of the bank found that the company had a total of 29 cars even though the company claimed to have 200 cars, following which the bank alleged that the accused sold off the cars to third parties without informing the bank.

The accused also allegedly cheated the bank by selling demo cars used for test drives without informing the bank or clearing previous dues.

“Our bank also extended credit facilities towards the purchase of 32 such demo cars which were sold without informing the bank to pocket sales proceeds fraudulently,” the FIR stated.