Continuing with its nationwide crackdown, the CBI on Tuesday lodged a case against a cashier of Bank of Baroda’s branch in Kolkata in connection with violations related to demonetisation. The CBI has so far registered 10 cases, made 16 arrests and seized Rs19 crore currency.
Cashier of Bank of Baroda, Behala branch, Ranjit Kumar Bhattacharya, has been booked by CBI for allegedly converting currency worth Rs50 lakh using fraudulent means in violation of laid down rules post demonetisation of Rs1,000 and Rs500 notes on November 8.
Under its countrywide operation continuing for a few weeks, the agency has so far registered four such cases in Karnataka, four in Hyderabad, one in Rajasthan and one in Kolkata. CBI officials said so far it was probing currency conversion of Rs19 crore, which might increase as the probe progresses and more FIRs are registered by it.
In Karnataka, CBI has arrested a JDS leader who is also a casino operator and an RBI official in separate cases of alleged illegal conversion of old currency. Reserve Bank official K Michael, posted in Bengaluru, was arrested by CBI while he was allegedly trying to convert Rs1.51 crore of old currency notes.
The agency has also arrested Veerendra in a separate case relating to seizure of Rs5.70 crore of new currency from the bathroom of the casino owner by the Income Tax department.
“We have arrested KC Veerendra. He was arrested in Hubballi on December 10 and brought to Bengaluru the following day and produced before the CBI court. He is in our custody for six days,” a top CBI official told media.
Besides Veerendra, middlemen Thipeswamy and Venkatesh, residents of Chitradurga districts of Karnataka, and unknown officials of four banks — State Bank of India, State Bank of Mysore, ICICI Bank and Kotak Mahindra — have also been named in the FIR in this case. A case has been registered against an ATM servicing company and officials of Karnakata Bank and Dhanluxmi Bank.
Another case has been registered against Central Bank of India officials and private persons for allegedly facilitating exchange of demonetised notes by issuing 149 Demand Drafts of Rs70 lakh in the name of a private loan company. In Hyderabad, CBI had registered four cases related to conversion of currency by postal department officials with prime suspect named in the FIR being K Sudheer Reddy, an Indian Postal Service Officer.