According to reports, besides NSEL offices, residences of Jignesh Shah, Joseph Massey are also being searched in connection with the payment crisis at the Spot Exchange

The economic offences wing (EOW) of Mumbai police on Monday searched 184 places across 16 states, including residences of Jignesh Shah, chairman and managing director of Financial Technologies (India) Ltd (FTIL), and Joseph Massey, managing director and chief executive of MCX-SX. According to media reports, a first information report (FIR) has been filed against NSEL, its promoters, directors and defaulting brokers in MRA Marg Police Station.

The searches are being conducted in connection with the payments crisis at National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL), following the Mayaram Committee report, which implicated the Spot Exchange and its promoters, directors. There are 24 buyers and members who have to pay Rs5,600 crore to the Spot Exchange for settling dues of the investors.

In a statement, NSEL said, it had filed complaints with the EOW. "We understand that investors have also filed several complaints. Today, EOW officials initiated searches on the 24 NSEL borrowers' premises across the country. EOW has also searched NSEL premises today. We welcome any action by the government authorities. It is to help recover the money from the borrowers. NSEL and Financial Technologies Group will fully co-operate with the government authorities in these investigations and is open to any scrutiny to bring the actual culprits to book," the statement said.
 

According to Livemint, the searches are being conducted following submission of a preliminary enquiry (PE) case by EOW against NSEL, Shah and others in the payment crisis case.

"EoW personals also searched the 4th floor of Andheri based FT tower where NSEL offices are based. EoW has converted the complaint filed by the NSEL against its former MD and other senior management officials who have been removed from the duty following the NSEL fiasco and default by its borrowers," says a report from Business Standard.

The report says, "Police also converted the affidavit filed by the Anjani Sinha (former chief executive and managing director of NSEL) who had been removed from duty post the Exchange’s default. Sinha in his affidavit had alleged some of the officials had taken personal benefits and allowed the borrowers to take money."
 

Meanwhile, Sachin Pilot, minister for corporate affairs said he is expecting financial reports and other details from Registrar of Companies (RoC) on crisis-ridden NSEL's parent company FTIL group and other related entities in few weeks.

"We asked the department to send the report as quickly as possible. In few weeks time, (we) will have the report," he told reporters on the sidelines of an event organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on CSR.

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) had previously asked RoC Mumbai to collect details of NSEL and other group entities. Besides, NSEL, FT group has promoted the country's top commodity bourse Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), stock exchange MCX-SX, and also entities engaged in the business of clearing corporation and exchange technology solutions, among others.

Last week, Finance Minister P Chidambaram had said that NSEL was violating rules from the day one and the matter was being looked into by MCA, CBI and commodity markets regulator FMC, among others. "Whatever the Finance Ministry has asked us to do, we are doing it. We hope that we would be able to pin-point any non-compliance committed.

On 20 August 2013, the Exchange sacked Sinha, accusing him of having hushed up the fact that warehousing receipts (WRs) are not backed by physical stock of commodities.
 

It may be recalled that Shah and his team borrowed a lot of time by saying that it was imperative for all involved to be on the same side so that recovery of assets would give investors their money back.

NSEL, promoted by Shah-led Financial Technologies group, is already being probed by various other regulators and investigative agencies with regard to a Rs5,600-crore payment default and persistent violations of various regulations.