Delhi court sends Lava chief, Chinese national to judicial custody in Vivo's PMLA case

New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) A Delhi court on Wednesday sent Chinese national Guangwen Kuang and Lava International MD Hari Om Rai to judicial custody till October 30 in connection with a money laundering case related to Chinese smartphone maker Vivo

Rai, Kuang and co-accused chartered accountant Nitin Garg were produced before Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala of Delhi's Patiala House Courts on expiry of their two-day Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody.

While Rai and Kuang were sent to judicial custody, Garg's ED custody has been extended by two days after the financial probe agency moved an application.

"In view of request made, both the accused persons are allowed to carry their spectacles and necessary medicines, as per prescription. Concerned jail superintendent is also directed to provide the necessary medical assistance, as per medical opinion, as per rules," the court said.

The court had earlier noted that the probe agency was able to make out the case for grant of further custody and directed that the interrogation be conducted at a place having CCTV coverage and the footage be preserved.

"Accused persons shall be medically examined once in every 48 hours during the above period and the accused persons shall also be permitted to meet their advocates for half an hour daily between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. during the said period of their ED custody in a manner that the ED officials are not able to hear their conversations," the court said.

The probe agency had arrested the persons on October 10. A source had earlier told IANS that the arrests were made after the agency carried out searches at the premises of the four accused on Monday and recovered Rs 10 lakh in cash.

The ED action came more than a year after it carried out searches at 48 locations across the country belonging to Vivo Mobiles India Private Ltd and its 23 associated companies such as Grand Prospect International Communication Pvt Ltd (GPICPL). The ED claimed that it has busted a major money laundering racket involving Chinese nationals and multiple Indian companies.

According to the ED, Vivo Mobiles India Pvt Ltd was incorporated on August 1, 2014 as a subsidiary of Multi Accord Ltd, a Hong Kong-based company, and was registered at ROC Delhi. GPICPL was registered on December 3, 2014 at ROC Shimla, with registered addresses at Solan, Himachal Pradesh, and Gandhinagar, Jammu.

The PMLA investigation by the ED was initiated by registering a money laundering case on February 3, 2022 on the basis of a FIR registered at the Kalkaji police station in the national capital by the Delhi Police against GPICPL, its director, shareholders and certifying professionals etc., on the basis of a complaint filed by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.