Mistry (45), who has had no regular supply of earnings for the previous 1.5 years, by his aides paid households to observe three TV channels, police mentioned. They’ve seized Rs 8.5 lakh present in Mistry’s financial institution locker and have additionally frozen his checking account, which, they are saying, had a stability of Rs 20 lakh.
“We discovered that since November final 12 months, greater than Rs 1 crore got here into his account. These transfers occurred after a spot of each two months, and every time an quantity starting from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh was deposited. We’ve got seen 5 to 6 such cash transfers in his account,” mentioned against the law department officer.
The crime department is probing rigging of TRPs and the alleged position of three channels: Republic TV, Fakht Marathi and Field Cinema.
‘Forensic audit of transactions by three channels’
There are allegations that the arrested accused paid cash to households, the place folks meters had been put in, to observe these channels to extend their TRPs.
Mistry, a Versova resident, was answerable for distributing cash to his protégé and one other arrested accused, Vishal Bhandari, a former Hansa Analysis Group worker, a police officer mentioned. “Cash got here from 4 to 5 folks. We are actually probing them to establish why they transferred cash to Mistry,” mentioned the officer.
Police discovered that whereas Broadcast Viewers Analysis Council (BARC) guidelines state folks meters can’t be put in at an worker’s residence, there was one put in at Bhandari’s dwelling. Bhandari, whereas working with Hansa Analysis as relationship supervisor, was answerable for 83 households the place the folks meters had been put in.
An officer mentioned, “We’ve got recorded statements of 38 of them. A few of them mentioned they didn’t wish to watch one specific English channel-—which is below probe—however agreed to take action on month-to-month funds of Rs 400 to Rs 500. Some folks mentioned Bhandari had transferred cash by Google Pay.”
A Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) staff led by API Sachin Waze is questioning the accused and has written to a financial institution asking for monetary transactions in Republic TV’s account, in line with a police officer who’s carefully concerned within the probe.
Police have additionally fashioned a particular staff within the metropolis’s financial offences wing (EOW) to probe the three TV channels’ monetary transactions and perform a forensic audit. Police have communicated to officers of earnings tax and GST and sought their help for a wider probe on this case, officers mentioned.
The forensic audit of all of the accounts and monetary transactions will likely be executed minutely by the forensic auditor, an officer mentioned, including investigation into transactions is important to ascertain the crime.
A staff led by deputy commissioner of police Parag Manera of EOW will invite purposes from forensic auditors. “Forensic audit of those three channels will likely be carried out. We’ve got to look at the funding, distribution of cash and the supply,” mentioned an EOW officer. “Our groups can even deal with establishing if there was any diversion of funds,” he added.
The EOW usually carries out forensic audits in huge dishonest instances and instances of economic fraud. Police can even summon advertisers and study their books of accounts and their promoting sample.
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