No FIR in Vijay Mallya ‘fake’ email case

Officials confused over jurisdiction

The cyber crime cell officials are confused whether to file an FIR in the fake email account case of liquor baron Vijay Mallya. Jurisdiction problems seem to be the reason for confusion over filing an FIR, according to sources.

On March 15, the industrialist sent a representative to the cyber crime cell in Mumbai to intimate the cell about the existence of a fake email account that he claimed he had not been using. Sources said the representative who gave the cyber cell a written complaint was Mr Mallya’s employee as was verified by the cell.

However, the officials did not file an FIR against anyone in the case. Sources said the email exchange took place between the ‘fake’ account holder and a Delhi-based journalist and Mr Mallya was in the United Kingdom at the time. A problem of jurisdiction then arose with respect to filing of the FIR. If the FIR is registered in Mumbai, then officers would have to visit Delhi every time for investigation.

Officials from the cyber crime cell said, “We are scrutinising the report and once we finalise if the complaint should be registered or not, we will take a call. Primary investigation is on.”

According to the application received by the cyber crime cell from the representative, Mr Mallya doesn’t own any such online email account from which he chatted or sent mails to any person or organisation.

Recently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued summons to the liquor baron. Besides this, the agency also questioned a senior executive of Kingfisher Airlines as part of its money laundering probe in the alleged default in payment of Rs 900 crore dues to various banks.