Arvind Nilmadhub Caught in a Rs 1.3 Million Payment for Vehicle Purchase
Arvind Nilmadhub was arrested on Tuesday as part of an investigation into allegations of misconduct related to obtaining residence permits for foreigners. He was provisionally charged in the Port-Louis court on Wednesday for money laundering and was remanded in custody after his appearance. The Financial Crimes Commission (FCC) opposed his release on bail to ensure the proper conduct of the investigation.
The case involves an alleged scam of 225,000 US dollars (approximately Rs 10.4 million) through the company Afribrains Holdings Ltd, incorporated in the Virgin Islands. According to the FCC, Arvind Nilmadhub purportedly purchased a 4x4 vehicle for Rs 1.3 million using part of this sum. The file was forwarded to the FCC following complaints from two British nationals directed to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The FCC accuses the former director of Planet FM of holding 150,000 US dollars (Rs 6.97 million at the day’s exchange rate) in his company’s bank account on December 9, 2021, from a source deemed suspicious. Another suspicious transaction of 27,000 US dollars (Rs 3.48 million) was traced to this account in May 2023. The investigation indicates that the money was partially deposited into a local bank account.
According to the FCC, Arvind Nilmadhub led the complainants to believe that he would initiate their applications for residence permits with the authorities starting December 2021. During the hearing at the FCC, in the presence of his lawyer Me Arun Kutwaroo, he claimed to have sent documents to a solicitor to start the procedures. However, the solicitor stated that the files had never been submitted for a residence permit application and were only presented in court at his request.
The two British nationals, one of whom is a lawyer, began making payments to Afribrains Holdings Ltd in December 2021. So far, their efforts to obtain a residence permit remain pending.
One of them filed a complaint in person at the FCC in January 2025, while the second was sent from abroad in the form of affidavits.
