ED arrests 4 Vivo execs including 1 Chinese national
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday arrested four executives from the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo, including a Chinese national, reported media.
This occurs amid escalating tensions between Beijing and New Delhi related to matters such as border disagreements and India's heightened scrutiny of Chinese enterprises and investments.
The executives were apprehended in connection with an ongoing 2022 case, which initially stemmed from an ED raid on the company's offices, implicating it in money laundering, the report said, citing sources.
Vivo has consistently refuted these allegations, asserting it has been cooperating with authorities by furnishing all necessary information and fully complying with the law.
Vivo executives were summoned for questioning at the ED's Delhi office and subsequently placed under arrest. They are scheduled to appear in court later on October 10.
In 2022, the ED froze 119 bank accounts linked to Vivo's India operations, but this action was later reversed by a court.
Official documents reveal that police have formally accused both Vivo Mobile and fellow Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp of assisting in the unlawful transfer of funds to a news portal under investigation for spreading Chinese propaganda, according to a media report.
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