Loan fraud case: Court allows Kochhar couple, Venugopal Dhoot to use special beds in CBI custody and home food

A court here on Tuesday permitted former ICICI Bank CEO and MD Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar, and Videocon group founder Venugopal Dhoot to use special beds and mattresses while in the custody of CBI in connection with a loan fraud case.

A day before, special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge A S Sayyad remanded the trio in CBI custody till December 28. They were also permitted to have home-cooked food and medicines. The Kochhars and Dhoot had sought permission to use a chair, special beds, mattresses, pillows, towels, blankets, and bed sheets citing their medical conditions. The court permitted them to use these items at their own cost.

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The court allowed them to take assistance from their lawyers for one hour in private every day till the interrogations are completed. The court said the CBI shall permit one attendant to accompany Dhoot to help him have insulin as and when required during the custody.

The CBI arrested Dhoot, 71, from Mumbai on Monday morning in connection with the ICICI Bank loan fraud case. The Kochhar couple was arrested by the probe agency on Friday night. The CBI had named the Kochhars and Dhoot, along with companies Nupower Renewables (NRL) managed by Deepak Kochhar, Supreme Energy, Videocon International Electronics Ltd and Videocon Industries Limited, as accused in the FIR registered under Indian Penal Code sections related to criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act in 2019.

As per CBI, ICICI Bank had sanctioned credit facilities to the tune of Rs 3,250 crore to the companies of Videocon Group promoted by Dhoot in violation of the Banking Regulation Act, RBI guidelines, and credit policy of the bank.