BHOPAL: Suicides by a businessman and his wife – Manoj and Neha Parmar – on Friday in Ashta town of MP and a six-page typed purported suicide note recovered from their home, alleging harassment and physical torture by ED officials during a search at his premises on December 5, have taken a political turn.
Congress alleged Parmar was harassed as his kids supported Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra by organising a ‘Gullak’ (piggy bank) team.
ED sources termed the deaths “unfortunate” and denied the charge, emphasising that the search was conducted in the presence of two independent officers (one male and the other female) of SBI. A dossier prepared by ED on Parmar termed him a “habitual offender” who was sentenced to seven years in jail for loan fraud in another case investigated by Astha police. Parmar was arrested and was on bail in a rape case in which the trial is underway, and faced offences of creating public nuisance, threatening public servants and damaging public property.
In his suicide note – marked to PM, CJI, CM, Governor, DGP and AICC and MPCC – the Manoj alleged that his entire family was being victimised because of his association with Congress. The note ends with a prayer to Rahul Gandhi to take care of his three children.
Denying the allegations, agency sources said that Parmar had personally called ED office at 12 noon on Dec 12, confirming that he would appear for recording his statement at 3.30pm. However, he didn’t turn up.
ED had searched four of Parmar’s properties in Indore and Sehore as part of a probe into alleged money laundering linked to a 2017 FIR by CBI.
Sources stressed that MP high court had in 2022 rejected Parmar’s plea for quashing the CBI FIR. The HC had noted that while CBI registered a single FIR for the 18 transactions, each was considered a distinct offence, and the agency was instructed to proceed with the case.
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