INS Vikrant ‘cheating’ case against BJP leader Kirit Somaiya, son closed

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and his son Neil had been accused of misappropriation of Rs 57 crore collected for the refurbishment of INS Vikrant. The Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai police filed a closure report in court on Wednesday.

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police closed the case against BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and his son Neil for the alleged diversion of funds collected by them for the refurbishment of INS Vikrant. On Wednesday, the police filed a ‘C Summary’ report before the Esplanade court, meaning the offence was registered due to ‘mistake of facts’.

The FIR was registered by the Trombay police in April on charges of cheating and criminal breach of trust against Somaiya and his son for misappropriation of Rs 57 crore collected for saving INS Vikrant, the Indian Navy’s first aircraft carrier that was dismantled. When the offence was registered, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was in power. The case was later transferred to the EOW.

The FIR had been registered based on a complaint given by one Baban Bhosle, a former Armyman who also claimed to have donated to the cause. In his statement to the police, Somaiya had said that the collected amount – around Rs 11,000 – was handed over to the governor. A police officer said that it came to light that there was nothing to prove that Rs 57 crore had been collected.

Explained | The cheating case related to INS Vikrant in which BJP’s Kirit Somaiya, son have been booked

“Over 40 statements have been recorded and based on our findings, we filed a closure report on Wednesday,” an officer said.

In August this year, the Bombay High Court had provided interim protection from arrest to the Somaiyas after the EOW said that they had found no evidence of misappropriation of funds. By this time, the MVA government had fallen in the state and the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government was formed.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram