GCA fraud: accused office-bearers not cooperating, govt to

A local court today adjourned till tomorrow the hearing on the bail applications filed by three functionaries of Goa Cricket Association arrested in a fraud case after the prosecution told the court that they are not cooperating in the probe.
The Economic Offences Cell of the local police had on June 15 arrested GCA President Chetan Dessai, Secretary Vinod Phadke and Treasurer Akbar Mulla on the complaint of GCA life- member Vilas Desai that they had allegedly encashed a cheque given by BCCI to GCA.
The trio are accused of having misappropriated the funds to the tune of Rs 3.13 crore between 2006 and 2008.

Arguing against the bail, Public Prosecutor Poonam Bharne told judicial magistrate Vijayalaxmi Shivolkar that police have to find out where the arrested office-bearers have parked the fund siphoned off by them.
"It is being submitted that the accused were interrogated at length but they did not disclose most of the facts," Bharne told the court.
According to prosecution, Dessai, Mulla and Phadke had prepared forged documents as well as a resolution of GCA and submitted it to the Development Credit Bank to open an account during 2006-08 and encashed a cheque of Rs 2.87 crore given by BCCI to GCA.

The accused also allegedly forged signatures and withdrew Rs 26 lakh from Federal Bank on the pretext of making payment to a sports goods' company called Hako Enterprise, the complaint had stated.

Meanwhile, Bharne argued that the accused trio were in the knowledge of the cheque released by BCCI.
"During the interrogation, the accused were asked to disclose about the minutes of the meeting book which has gone missing, the receipt of the disputed cheque and other documents but they have refused to do so.
"They had forged the minutes of GCA meeting and opened an account in Development Credit Bank's Panaji branch," she said, adding the manager of the bank has already identified the accused.

Bharne said the police custody of the accused is required
to find out about the audit book, minutes of the meeting book and other documents for the period 2007-08.
"The investigating agency also has to find out the details of how fake and false bank account was opened in DCB on behalf of GCA," she told the court.
The prosecutor further said the police need to find out where the siphoned off money has been parked and who had withdrawn money from DCB Bank.
"Their custodial interrogation is also required to find out (about) their associates (involved) in committing the crime and to prevent the accused from making any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the fact of the case," she said.

Bharne said the investigation is still at a preliminary stage "involving the money which came to GCA for development of cricket in Goa and for the betterment of cricket clubs".