New India Coop Bank case: Accused Hitesh Mehta to undergo brain-mapping test

Mumbai: Hitesh Mehta, the key accused in the Rs 122-crore embezzlement at New India Cooperative Bank, will undergo a brain-mapping test in the next couple of days, a police official said on Friday. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police is probing into the misappropriation of the funds at the bank and is trying hard to gather information about it, he said. Mehta, the bank’s former general manager and head of accounts, underwent a polygraph test, also called a lie detector test, last week at the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Mumbai’s Kalina area. However, the result was deceptive and did not yield more concrete information about the use of the fund and the role of other accused persons, he said.

To join the dots and extract more information from Mehta, the EOW has decided to go for the brain-mapping test, the official said. “We have decided to conduct a brain-mapping test on Mehta, but are yet to decide the date,” a senior police official said. It will be done at FSL, he said. The court has already given permission to conduct Forensics Psychological Tests on Mehta, he said. The EOW has so far arrested seven persons in the case, while former chairman of the bank Hiten Bhanu and his wife Gauri are wanted accused in the case. A local court has issued a non-bailable warrant against the couple, the official said, adding that further probe is underway. According to the police, Rs 122 crore was siphoned off from the safes of New India Cooperative Bank’s Prabhadevi and Goregaon offices in Mumbai. Mehta was arrested on February 15 following which six other accused were held.