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Government Orders SFIO Probe Against Crisis-Hit DHFL

DHFL came under scanner in wake of allegations it siphoned off Rs 31,000 crore worth bank loans through layers of shell companies.

The signage for Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd. (DHFL) atop a building in Mumbai, India. (Photo: BloombergQuint)
The signage for Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd. (DHFL) atop a building in Mumbai, India. (Photo: BloombergQuint)

The government has ordered a Serious Fraud Investigation Office probe into alleged financial irregularities at mortgage lender Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd. after finding instances of suspected fund diversions, according to a source.

DHFL came under the scanner in the wake of allegations that the company had siphoned off Rs 31,000 crore worth bank loans through layers of shell entities.

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs carried out a detailed examination of the allegations of financial misdoings against the company's promoters through the Registrar of Companies.

The RoC report indicated suspected fund diversions at the company, following which the ministry has asked the SFIO to probe the case, as per the source.

On Oct. 29, a senior official said there were good enough reasons to refer the DHFL matter to the SFIO. The probe agency comes under the ministry.

Separately, a forensic audit by KPMG has reportedly found massive fund diversion by the promoters.

Opinion
With Forensic Audit Pointing To Fund Diversion, DHFL Crisis Set To Linger On

DHFL, the third largest mortgage lender in the country, had sought a Rs 15,000-crore lifeline from the lenders as they finalise the resolution plan, which may also include picking up 51 percent equity in the company by converting their debt into equity.