CBI arrests absconder after 24 years

Luck ran out for an alleged scamster after 24-years as CBI apprehended him from his brother's place in Bangalore using his tracks on the social networking site Facebook.
Dipak Poddar, a businessman from Mumbai, has allegedly committed foreign exchange fraud of nearly Rs 67.15 lakh in 1985-89 and had purportedly been on the run ever since ditching every effort of CBI to nab him.
Rupesh Srivastava, a CBI inspector posted at the agency's headquarters, was not ready to give up. He searched Facebook for profiles similar to that of Poddar.
After searching for months, Srivastava zeroed in on one of the profiles which had friends with names similar to children of the absconding accused, CBI sources said.

The children, however, did not admit Poddar being their father and the agency continued to keep surveillance on his family and friends who were in the contact list of his children. Finally, the agency could nail the location of Poddar who was hiding in Bangalore at his friend's place.
The agency has filed a charge sheet against Poddar accusing him of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and other offences in December 30, 1996.
He has been accused by the agency of remitting Foreign Exchange worth Rs 67.15 Lakh by using forged bills of lading in the account of his firms without any genuine trade transaction as no material was imported into India during the period 1985-89.

"The said accused could not be traced during investigation and the trial against him was kept dormant. After sustained efforts, CBI traced the proclaimed offender at Bangalore and arrested him from the business premises of his younger brother at Bangalore," CBI spokesperson said here today.