Anil Ambani empire under siege: ED raids 35 premises linked to Reliance Group in ₹3,000-cr scam

Agencies

July 24, 2025

In one of the biggest financial crackdowns in recent years, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday swooped down on 35 locations in Delhi and Mumbai connected to Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group — also known as the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (RAAGA). The raids, part of a ₹3,000-crore money-laundering investigation, target more than 50 companies and 25 individuals allegedly involved in a complex financial fraud.

The ED’s probe stems from two CBI FIRs alleging large-scale irregularities in loans disbursed by Yes Bank between 2017 and 2019. Investigators claim RAAGA companies secured unsecured loans worth nearly ₹3,000 crore, allegedly facilitated through bribery of senior bank officials, including Yes Bank’s former promoters.

Preliminary findings suggest a meticulously planned scheme to siphon public funds by cheating banks, shareholders, and investors. Key red flags identified include shell companies with common directors, loans issued without proper verification, funds routed through multiple entities, and “loan evergreening” — fresh loans allegedly issued to repay old ones.

Regulatory bodies including SEBI, NHB, NFRA, and Bank of Baroda have flagged anomalies in group companies, particularly Reliance Home Finance Limited, whose loan book nearly doubled in a single year. The State Bank of India has already classified Reliance Communications and Anil Ambani himself as “fraud” accounts, a move first initiated in 2020.

Thursday’s raids involve combing through records across 50 entities tied to Ambani’s empire. Sources indicate that senior Yes Bank executives and other key individuals are under scrutiny for allegedly receiving personal benefits in exchange for loan approvals.

The ED’s massive operation marks a dramatic escalation in the ongoing probe into corporate governance and financial fraud at some of India’s largest business houses.

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Chaos continues as IndiGo cancels more flights including 73 from Bengaluru airport

News Network

December 4,2025

Domestic carrier IndiGo has cancelled over 180 flights from three major airports — Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru — on Thursday, December 4, as the airline struggles to secure the required crew to operate its flights in the wake of new flight-duty and rest-period norms for pilots.

While the number of cancellations at Mumbai airport stands at 86 (41 arrivals and 45 departures) for the day, at Bengaluru, 73 flights have been cancelled, including 41 arrivals, according to a PTI report that quoted sources.

"IndiGo cancelled over 180 flights on Thursday at three airports-Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru," the source told the news agency.

Besides, it had cancelled as many as 33 flights at Delhi airport for Thursday, the source said, adding, "The number of cancellations is expected to be higher by the end of the day."

The Gurugram-based airline's On-Time Performance (OTP) nosedived to 19.7 per cent at six key airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad — on December 3, as it struggled to get the required crew to operate its services, down from almost half of December 2, when it was 35 per cent.

"IndiGo has been facing acute crew shortage since the implementation of the second phase of the FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) norms, leading to cancellations and huge delays in its operations across the airports," a source had told PTI on Wednesday.

Chaos continued at several major airports for the third day on Thursday because of the cancellations.

A spokesperson for the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru said that 73 IndiGo flights had been cancelled on Thursday.

At least 150 flights were cancelled and dozens of others delayed on Wednesday, airport sources said, leaving thousands of travellers stranded, according to news agency Reuters.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said it is investigating IndiGo flight disruptions and has asked the airline to submit the reasons for the current situation, as well as its plans to reduce flight cancellations and delays.

It may be mentioned here that the pilots' body, Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), has alleged that IndiGo, despite getting a two-year preparatory window before the full implementation of new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crew, "inexplicably" adopted a "hiring freeze".

The FIP said it has urged the safety regulator, the DGCA, not to approve airlines' seasonal flight schedules unless they have adequate staff to operate their services "safely and reliably" in accordance with the New Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms.

In a letter to the DGCA late on Wednesday, the FIP urged the DGCA to consider re-evaluating and reallocating slots to other airlines, which have the capacity to operate them without disruption during the peak holiday and fog season if IndiGo continues to "fail in delivering on its commitments to passengers due to its own avoidable staffing shortages."

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