india

Updated: Apr 26, 2020 15:55 IST

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday took custody of Dheeraj and Kapil Wadhawan of DHFL group who are allegedly involved in the YES Bank scam from their bungalow in Mahabaleshwar in Satara , 260 km south of Mumbai after their quarantine ended, a senior official of the agency said.

The CBI had obtained an arrest warrant against the two brothers after the family was caught holidaying in Mahabaleshwar. On April 18, the brothers had obtained a stay on execution of an arrest warrant after their lawyer pleaded that the two should not be arrested amidst the coronavirus pandemic. The Special court had granted them relief and stayed the warrant. The court order protected the two from arrest till May 5.

However, CBI, which was not heard while staying the warrant, approached the special court to lift the stay. The Wadhwans’ interim relief was cancelled on Saturday (April 25) and a CBI team from Mumbai reached Satara Sunday afternoon to arrest the two brothers, a senior officer of the agency said.

The agency was assisted by the Satara police. The two arrested men will be brought to Mumbai by the evening, the officer said.

Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh confirmed the arrests with a tweet.

“A CBI team has taken both Kapil and Dhiraj Wadhwan into custody. Satara Police has given them all required assistance & an escort vehicle with one plus three guards upto Mumbai on a written request. The arrest procedures are going on,” Deshmukh tweeted.

A #CBI team has taken both Kapil and Dhiraj Wadhwan into custody.@SataraPolice has given them all required assistance & an escort vehicle with 1+3 guard upto Mumbai on a written request.

The arrest procedures are going on.#LawEqualForAll — ANIL DESHMUKH (@AnilDeshmukhNCP) April 26, 2020

According to the CBI FIR, between April and June, 2018, Yes Bank invested ₹3,700 crore in short-term debentures of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL). In return, the Wadhawans allegedly “paid kickback of ₹600 crore” to Kapoor and family members in the form of loan to DoIT Urban Ventures (India) Pvt Ltd.

The CBI had obtained non bailable warrant against the two on March 17 but the two men had not been arrested. On April 9, the Wadhawans, with a group of 23 people flouted the lockdown and travelled to Mahabaleshwar from Khandala after a senior home department official gave them a free pass.

They were put in quarantine once the news of their lockdown violation became public.

DHFL is already under probe ny teh Enforcement Directorate (ED) for allegedly siphoning of around Rs 13,000 crore taken from banks and for Wadhawans links with Iqbal Mirchi (now dead), an aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.