Ajay Gupta (pictured) and Anil Gupta were arrested in Dehradun, India, for their alleged involvement in the death of a prominent construction contractor. (Gallo Images/Business Day/Martin Rose)
- Ajay Gupta and Anil Gupta were arrested on Friday for their alleged involvement in the death of a prominent construction contractor in Dehradun, India.
- The Department of Justice and Corrections said it would be in touch with Indian authorities about “possible involvement.”
- The Gupta family faces numerous lawsuits and investigations in South Africa and internationally over alleged corruption and money laundering.
The Justice Department is set to hold talks with its Indian counterparts following the arrest on Friday of Ajay Gupta and Anil Gupta for their alleged involvement in the death of a prominent builder in Dehradun.
Ministry spokesman Crispin Phiri said authorities were aware of reports of the Gupta brothers' arrests.
” [Department] “The Ministry of Justice and Corrections confirmed reports of the arrest of brothers Ajay and Anil Gupta in India. Arrest warrants were for Rajesh and Atul Gupta but formal procedures were underway through the Indian High Commission for verification and possible involvement,” he told News24.
According to the Times of India, the two were arrested on suspicion of abetting suicide after Satinder Singh Sawhney had included Anil and Ajay's names in a suicide note before jumping from the terrace of a seven-storey apartment building.
The two were arrested by Dehradun police on Friday. Anil is married to Aqura, sister of the Gupta brothers.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola clarified at an ANC rally at Johannesburg's FNB Stadium that while the Guptas had indeed been arrested in India, they were not the ones for whom South Africa had issued arrest warrants.
Lamola said it was unclear whether those arrested had any links to Rajesh and Atul, who travelled from South Africa to Dubai amid numerous cases and investigations both within and outside South Africa.
The Gupta family is accused of large-scale corruption and political influence over former president Jacob Zuma.
The Gupta family's assets in South Africa are subject to freezing orders and a court battle is ongoing to have them released, and several countries have expressed concern or taken action against the Guptas over allegations of corruption and money laundering.
In April, South African Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi said South African authorities were facing difficulties in extraditing Atul and Rajesh from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to South Africa, where they face charges including fraud and money laundering linked to the state takeover.
South Africa's extradition request to the UAE was rejected in April 2023, and Batohi said the Middle Eastern country had not given a satisfactory response to a follow-up inquiry to determine the reasons for the refusal of the request.
“We're really focused on the basics: [is] Issues regarding our extradition request, which have not received a satisfactory response from the UAE.
“We have been trying to arrange a meeting with the UAE head of state and the head of the public prosecutor’s office to understand this. [but] We haven't been able to schedule that meeting for months,” she said.
-Additional reporting by Amanda Koza