Indian-origin fugitive businessmen Rajesh and Atul Gupta, who were among South Africa’s most wanted suspects in a corruption case that led to the removal of President Jacob Zuma from office, have been arrested by the Dubai Police, according to an official statement on Tuesday.
The Interpol had issued red notices against Rajesh, 51, and Atul Gupta, 53, — two of the three Indian-origin Gupta brothers—who fled South Africa with their families amid investigations into their alleged looting of billions of rands from state-owned enterprises during the presidency of Zuma, 80.
The Interpol is currently headed by the UAE.
It was not immediately known if the third brother, Ajay Gupta, 56, was arrested.
The arrests came as an investigation was concluded into the massive plundering of state institutions during former president Zuma’s era. Zuma was South African President from 2009 until 2018 when he was forced to resign.
The Gupta brothers are accused in South Africa of using their relationship with former president Zuma to profit financially and influence senior appointments, charges that they have vehemently denied.
In 2018, the Gupta family went into self-exile in Dubai after looting billions of rands from parastatal institutions in South Africa, authorities in Johannesburg said.
The Gupta family, originally hailing from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, entered South Africa by setting up a shoe store in the early 1990s. They soon expanded to include IT, media and mining companies, most of which have now been sold off or closed.
