Abrupt transfer of key investigating officer in Mafatlal heiress diamond smuggling case raises questions.
Abrupt transfer of key investigating officer in Mafatlal heiress diamond smuggling case raises questions.
Investigations in the high-profile Sheetal Mafatlal diamond smuggling case hit a speed breaker with the principal investigating officer in the case, B S Nunwal transferred last evening.
Nunwal, additional commissioner of customs, air intelligence unit, investigating the Mafatlal case has been moved as the additional commissioner air cargo exports at Sahar.
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Dark Secrets: Sheetal Mafatlal's details on the purchase of her diamond jewellery are still not available. |
It's a position that will have absolutely no influence in the Mafatlal case or cases involving high-profile passengers.
The transfer is especially suspect because, unlike his predecessors, who did two years, Nunwal served for just 10 months. In fact, he has been handling the Mafatlal case for less than a month.
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Nunwal was instrumental in guiding sleuths in following the line of investigations and interrogated Mafatlal twice a week since her release from Byculla jail on June 10.
Questioning the timing of the transfer, which has officially been termed as routine, Air Intelligence Unit officials admitted, "Being a high-profile case it implied severe political pressure and was seen as a sensitive matter. A transfer was not expected."
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Nunwal confirmed his transfer, but downplayed it saying, "I have been transferred as a matter of routine or rotation in the customs department. Who takes charge is yet to be decided."
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Stopped at airportOn June 7, after arriving from London, Mafatlal was found to be carrying 40-odd pieces of diamond-studded gold jewellery worth close to Rs 46 lakh.
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In addition, she had Louis Vuitton handbags and clothes worth Rs 7 lakh that she had picked up at the Harrods luxury store in London.
Officials said that investigations had covered sufficient distance and was passing through a crucial phase and Mafatlal was expected to further open up.
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Talking about the case Nunwal said, "She [Mafatlal] has been interrogated over the past few weeks. However, details on the purchase of her jewellery are not available."
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Officials also said that while Mafatlal continued to remain mum on the source of purchase, she had submitted that she was working in Britain and was an NRI. She has also been found to violate some sections of the visa rules.
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Customs officials said that her NRI status would not have any impact on the case in terms of a relaxation of customs duty.
She could not prove that she would be taking the items back to the United Kingdom with her and was therefore not exempt from duty.
47 lakhValue of the gold and diamond studded jewellery Mafatlal was carrying
7 lakhValue of her handbags and clothes
20,000Value of jewellery exempt from customs duty
25,000Value of bags, clothes, white goods exempt
