The nine-seater Bombardier Challenger-300 aircraft is registered in the name of Privilege Airways Private Ltd,... Read More

MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday attached a private aircraft of Sarang, aka Sunny, Wadhawan of HDIL along with jewellery worth Rs 60 crore, including a diamond ring valued at Rs 15 crore, in the money-laundering case it is probing against him and others in the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank fraud .

The nine-seater Bombardier Challenger-300 aircraft is registered in the name of Privilege Airways Private Ltd, a company in which Sunny and his father Rakesh Wadhawan are directors. ED officials learnt through an informant that the Wadhawans had a private aircraft and asked the airport authorities to help them trace it.

To avoid jewellery from being attached, the Wadhawans had shifted it to a close relative of Sunny's wife Anu. On learning about this, ED officials convinced the relative to surrender the ornaments to avoid legal trouble. Officials said they will ascertain its price with the help of a valuer. Sunny and Anu were the toast of B-Town, known for their lavish parties, and were frequently featured as a glam couple in celebrity magazines.

The officials also learnt that Sunny owns a yacht that has been docked in the Maldives and have initiated the process for its seizure. The ED also found a licensed pistol that the family had not submitted to the police even though it is mandatory to do so during the election code of conduct.

Earlier, the ED had attached 10 luxury cars of the Wadhawans that included two Rolls-Royce, two Land Rover, one Bentley and a Mercedes.

Both Sunny and Rakesh, who are believed to be close to several politicians, are in the custody of the economic offences wing of the Mumbai police. The Wadhawans' real estate had witnessed a boom during the Congress-NCP regime.

On Friday, ED raided five HDIL premises in the city including the group's office in Bandra (east) and the Wadhawans' homes. Officials found that the Wadhawans had gifted a couple of commercial premises around Bandra to a few politicians, including a former minister from the western suburbs.



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