CBI arrests bank officials in Rs 15 crore cheating case

The CBI has arrested two former managers of the State Bank of India, a former manager of Canara Bank and four others for allegedly defrauding a Kolkata-based SBI branch of Rs 15 crore, officials said here today.

The then managers Asis Kumar Bhattacharya, SBI, Barakar Branch and Debdulal Sarkar, SBI (now retired); Eshwar Honnudike Shivanna, Canara Bank (now retired) and Bijay Kumar Agarwal, Rajesh Kumar Jain, Ajay Agarwal and Pawan Kumar Agarwala, directors of Ganpat Lal Pawan Kumar Traders Pvt Ltd were taken into custody by the CBI, they said.

"CBI had registered a case on the allegation that during the year 2013-14, the directors of a Kolkata-based private company entered into a criminal conspiracy with three bank officials of the State Bank of India and the Canara Bank to defraud the SBI, Industrial Finance Branch, Kolkata, to the tune of Rs 15 crore (approx.) by discounting three bills under fake and forged Letter of Credits, purportedly issued by Canara Bank, Dena Bank and SBBJ," CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said.

He said the accused were produced before the Special CBI Judge, Bichar Bhawan, Kolkata, today and were remanded to three days of CBI custody.