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Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said the Gupta brothers reported to have been arrested in India are not the ones the South African government has obtained warrants of arrest for.
Ajay Gupta (pictured) and Anil Gupta were arrested in Dehradun, India, for their alleged involvement in the death of a prominent builder.
Controversial businessmen Ajay Gupta and Anil Gupta were arrested on Friday in India due to their alleged connection to the death of a well-known builder in Dehradun.
The Guptas were arrested from their home in the Dalanwala area of Dehradun for reportedly abetting the suicide of 52-year-old Satyendra Singh Sahni. They are expected to appear in court on Saturday, May 25.
According to the Times of India, police stated that Sahni mentioned in his suicide note that the Guptas had been threatening him over financial matters related to a partnership project.
The Times of India reported that the builder named the two in the note before he plunged to his death from the terrace of a seven-storey apartment building on Friday morning.
According to the Times of India, Sahni addressed the suicide note to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, accusing the Guptas of “coercion and interference in his projects.”
Police sources told the publication that Sahni had accused the pair of “threatening him and his business partner to hand over two major construction projects in the city.”
This was reflected both in the suicide note and a complaint laid by the deceased builder’s son, Ranvir Sahni.
“My father was constantly being threatened by Ajay Gupta, son of Shiv Gupta, and Anil Gupta, son of Shyam Lal Gupta, residents of Nehru Colony Dalanwala, over financial matters. A written complaint was submitted to the local police on 19 May 2023, about the Gupta brothers’ threats, harassment, intimidation, and blackmail,” Ranvir said.
Ranvir added, “Ajay Gupta and Anil Gupta filed a false complaint with the Senior Superintendent of Police in Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh) without any basis. As a result, my father was repeatedly summoned by Saharanpur police.”
According to the Times of India, Sahni’s suicide note stated that the Guptas had been threatening him for some time, leading him to take his own life.
The builder mentioned that the two businessmen had been pressuring him over financial matters related to a partnership project.
Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Singh shared with Times of India that there was prima facie evidence to arrest the two businessmen.
“Prima facie, the Gupta brothers have been detained on the basis of their involvement in the case. Both will be produced in court on Saturday,” he said.
According to the Times of India, the Guptas and their family fled the country in 2018 for the UAE after law enforcement agencies ramped up their investigations into allegations of state capture.
Interpol then issued Red Notices for the Guptas early last year. In June 2022, Rajesh and Atul Gupta were arrested in Dubai in connection with the R24.9 million Nulane Investment fraud and money laundering case.
Gupta brothers arrested in India are not Ajay and Atul
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Ronald Lamola on Saturday clarified that the Gupta brothers reported to have been arrested in India are not the ones the South African government has obtained warrants of arrest for.
Lamola was speaking during a short media briefing at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg during the ANC’s Siyanqoba rally.
“There are media reports indicating the arrest of Gupta family members in India. We want to clarify that for the world. According to the information at our disposal verified by our high commissioner in India the Gupta family members that have been arrested are not the ones in the warrant of arrest as issued by South Africa and as per the red notice issued by Interpol … It is not Ajay and Atul Gupta that have been arrested.
“We also want to confirm that the red notice of Interpol is still valid across the globe. Wherever they [Gupta brothers] are in the world, every state has a duty to arrest them,” said Lamola.