The allegations have come as a bombshell in the diamond industry. The list was the talking point of stunned members of diamond fraternities in Mumbai and Surat in the last 24 hours.
Some of the biggest names in the global diamond industry dominate the list published by the Tehelka magazine of people having secret accounts in the LGT Bank of Liechtenstein.
Some of the diamond barons named in the list are Gujaratis having roots in Palanpur.
Also on the list (which gives names of people who have allegedly stashed away ill-gotten money in the foreign bank) are brothers Arun Mehta and Dilip Mehta. Arun Mehta is co-founder of Rosy Blue, the world’s largest diamond manufacturing company, while Dilip Mehta is the CEO of the Group.
Arun Mehta is an Indian citizen and lives in Mumbai. Dilip Mehta had given up Indian citizenship and operates out of Antwerp, Belgium. They have offices and businesses all over the world. Arun Mehta could not be reached despite several attempts to contact him on his phone.
Prabodh Mehta of Gembel Diamonds, who belongs to the family that founded Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital, is also named in the list.
The names of Rajnikant Mehta and his wife, Gunwanti, also figure in Tehelka’s list of people having accounts in LGT Bank. It is understood that Rajnikant Mehta is no more (he passed away in 1996) while Gunwanti Mehta could not be contacted.
A source close to the Mehta family, however, said that they had done nothing wrong, and that no illegal or black money was kept in the foreign bank. The source further said that Rajnikant Mehta was a non-resident Indian. He also said that the family was co-operating with the tax authorities.
The allegations have come as a bombshell in the diamond industry. The list was the talking point of stunned members of diamond fraternities in Mumbai and Surat in the last 24 hours.
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