Guptas arrested in India not wanted by SA authorities and Interpol
The two Guptas arrested in India were not the same Gupta brothers that South Africa is busy trying to extradite from the United Arab Emirates.
Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola said Ajay and Anil Gupta, who were arrested in India were not among those wanted in South Africa.
South Africa is seeking the extradition of Atul and Rajesh Gupta, who are wanted on State Capture related charges.
“Indeed there are Gupta family members arrested in India, but they are not the ones in the warrant of arrest issued by South Africa and they are also not the ones in terms of the warrant of arrest given to Interpol red notice.
“So it is the different Gupta family members, I don’t even know if they are related or not,” said Lamola.
On Friday, one of the Gupta brothers, Ajay, was arrested with his brother in law Anil in India for their alleged involvement in the death of a prominent builder in Dehradun, Satyendra Singh Sahni
The two were taken into custody by police for allegedly abetting the suicide of Sahni, according to Times of India.
According to Sahni’s suicide note which was addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ajay and Anil had been threatening him for some time, leading him to take his own life.
The Department of Justice also said that they will hold engagements with officials in India following the arrest of these two individuals.
Red notice by Interpol
In May, The Department of Justice confirmed that an Interpol red notice issued for the arrest of Atul and Rajesh Gupta was still effective.
The brothers were arrested by Dubai police in June after Interpol placed Rajesh and Atul Gupta on its most-wanted list, its red notice, and are wanted in South Africa for allegedly looting billions linked to State Capture.
They were set free after a failed extradition attempt with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) having said this was due to the failure of the South African government to meet strict standards for legal documentation.
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