NSE fraud: CBI grills Ravi Narain, the CEO before Chitra

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday grilled former NSE director Ravi Narain who served as the CEO of NSE before Chitra Ramakrishna in connection with the probe into certain irregularities at the NSE.

Earlier, it was speculated that he had fled to London but the CBI source confirmed that Ravi Narain is very much in Mumbai and his statement wad recorded.

"Ravi was asked to join the investigation. He responded to our summon. He was called at a Mumbai office where he was grilled. He is also a suspect in the case," said the CBI source.

Ravi was too evasive and tried to evade a lot of questions. He also requested that his LoC should be closed.

Now CBI will record the statement of Anand Subramanian who was hired in NSE by flouting all rules by Chitra Ramakrishna as a Chief Strategic Advisor.

Chitra Ramakrishna, the ex MD and CEO of National Stock Exchange (NSE) was recently grilled by the CBI in Mumbai. On February 18 she got her statement recorded with the federal probe agency.

The CBI had asked her around 50 questions. She had tried to play victim card by claiming she didn't know a lot of things. She also had claimed that she was innocent and somebody was trying to frame her.

CBI had asked her, for how long she had been sending mails to Yogi Baba, was she given any cut for sharing classified information, if yes, where did she invest the money.

The CBI had already issued Look Out Circular (LoC) against Chitra, Anand Subramanian, the former Group Operating official and Ravi Narain, the ex-NSE CEO (before Chitra).

Sources told IANS that Chitra and two others involved in the case were flight risk and hence the LOCs were issued. Arrests in the case is now more likely.

The CBI has lodged an FIR against Chitra on the basis of the 192 page report of the SEBI in which she has been accused of leaking classified information to a Yogi Baba who lived in the Himalayas.

"There was a flight risk, there were possibilities that they may flee abroad and taking preventive steps we issued the LOC," sources had told IANS.

On February 17, the Income Tax Department had conducted raids at the house of Chitra in Mumbai and Chennai during which icriminating documents were recovered.

The I-T department scanned various transactions and digital records. They also recorded the statements of a few of her employees.

Recently, SEBI had imposed a fine of Rs 3 crore on her. SEBI had uploaded a 192-page order on its official website narrating how Chitra was allegedly involved in suspicious activities by leaking information.

Chitra had said that a sage, who lives in the Himalayas, was giving her directions. She also sent him emails regarding the NSE.

She quit SEBI in December 2016.

It has been learnt that she allegedly shared vital inputs with the Yogi. "Information regarding organisational structure, dividend scenario, financial results, human resource policies and related issues, response to regulator, etc, were shared by her with the Yogi," said the source. Between 2014 and 2016 she sent emails at rigyajursama@outlook.com.

Subramanian was made the Chief Strategic Advisor of NSE. He served at this post between 2013 and 2015. He was given the post of group operating official and advisor to the MD. He discharged his duties on this post between 2015 and 2016.

Subramanian, who had previously been working as a mid-level manager in Balmer and Lawrie, had no exposure to the capital market. His salary was increased from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 1.68 crore annually. In 2017, his salary was hiked to Rs 4.21 crore yearly.