Vivo needs to follow the law of the land, says external affairs ministry

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said the companies that operate in India need to follow the law of the land.

The remark was made by an MEA spokesperson in connection with the ongoing investigation related to Vivo and other Chinese firms.

"Companies that operate here need to follow the law of the land. Our legal authorities are taking steps as per law of the land. I don't see the case to make comments as such on it," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in a media briefing.

Meanwhile, a day after it was reported that two top executives of its associated company likely fled India, following raids, the ED on Thursday said that Chinese smartphone company Vivo was involved in huge 'hawala' transactions.

It said that out of the total sale proceeds of Rs 1,25,185 crore, Vivo India remitted Rs 62,476 crore -- almost 50 per cent of the turnover out of India, mainly to China.

According to the ED, all due procedures as per law were followed during the said operations at each premises but employees of Vivo India, including some Chinese nationals did not cooperate with the search proceedings and had tried to abscond, remove and hide digital devices which were retrieved by the search teams.

SEE ALSO : Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Aksa Air to start operations this month
Voice tech is evolving rapidly. Here are the top trends in voice tech to watch for