Cbi Refuses To Name Sbi Officials In Bhansali Case

The prime accused in the Rs 1,200 crore CRB scam, C R Bhansali was remanded to police custody till July 7 by additional metropolitan magistrate S B Dhumal in Mumbai yesterday even as the CBI told the court that it was examining key State Bank of India officials but could not disclose their names as it would hamper investigations.

The CBI officials made this disclosure in response to Bhansalis counsel Indira Bansal who said that despite knowing the identity of the SBI officials involved in the scam, the remand application mentions unknown officials of the SBI. The investigating officer produced in court, files containing the details of the SBI officials examined but refused to make it public.

 

Bhansali had earlier been remanded to custody till June 24, when he was produced in the court on June 9 following his arrest in Delhi. The CBI yesterday, arguing in favour of retaining custody of Bhansali, said that the co-conspirators in the scam were yet to be traced and would be required to be confronted with Bhansali. The sustained custodial interrogation of the accused is also necessary so that the other members of the conspiracy to create fake fixed deposit repayment warrants are traced and the funds obtained through the above fraudulent means are recovered, the end use thereof are traced, the remand application said. The CBI said that during the custodial interrogation of the accused it has been brought to light that Bhansali, in collusion with some of his associates, removed the blank fixed deposit warrants from the back office of the FD Warrants and had bogus warrants prepared in his office and residence in favour of persons/companies who were either his employees or associates.

The bogus warrants were credited by his associates/companies in their account in various banks/branches in about eight major cities in India and the proceeds were used by C R Bhansali and the other co-conspirators, the remand application said.

Bhansalis counsel told the court that the SBI officials should have by now been suspended and arrested by the investigating agency.

The defence counsel said that Bhansali was not opposing the CBI demand for police custody provided they do a sincere job. I was trusting the CBI. Dont destroy me but book the culprits, the counsel told the court.

The defence counsel reiterated her earlier stand that Bhansali had not done anything illegal. The CBI has mentioned in the remand application that Bhansali removed the blank FD warrants from the back office of the FD Warrants. I have failed to understand the term back office. The warrants were being printed on specific numbers by us and tested by the Reserve Bank of India, the defence counsel told the court. accused it has been brought to light that Bhansali, in collusion with some of his associates, removed the blank fixed deposit warrants from the back office of the FD Warrants and had bogus warrants prepared in his office and residence in favour of persons/companies who were either his employees or associates.

The bogus warrants were credited by his associates/companies in their account in

various banks/branches in about eight major cities in India and the proceeds were used by C R Bhansali and the other co-conspirators, the remand application said.

Bhansalis counsel told the court that the SBI officials should have by now been suspended and arrested by the investigating agency.