CBI arrests two SBI scam fugitives absconding for 20 years

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two fugitives, Brijbhushan Prasad and Kartar Singh, who were wanted for nearly 21 years in connection with the alleged siphoning of over Rs 1.25 crore from an SBI branch in Dhanbad, Jharkhand. Both were facing Interpol Red Notices and had been declared proclaimed offenders by the court.

The arrests were carried out on Sunday in a simultaneous operation at two separate locations. Prasad was apprehended in Kopargaon, Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, while Singh was taken into custody in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. Officials said the duo had been living under assumed identities to evade arrest.

According to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the case was registered on August 31, 2005, on the charges of misappropriation of funds from the SBI branch in Dhanbad between November 2002 and June 2005. After the Central Bureau of Investigation took over the investigation, the accused fled to Nepal. An Interpol Red Notice was subsequently issued against them, and a reward of Rs 25,000 was announced for information leading to their arrest.

“Subsequently, the accused were declared proclaimed offenders by the court. Based on sustained efforts, technical inputs, meticulous follow-up and coordinated action by CBI, both the proclaimed offenders, who had been absconding for nearly two decades and were living under assumed identities to evade arrest, were apprehended on Sunday in a simultaneous operation conducted at two different locations,” the CBI spokesperson said.

The arrests bring closure to a long-pending financial fraud case that had remained unresolved for over two decades. The two accused are now in Central Bureau of Investigation custody and are likely to be produced before the designated court in the coming days for further legal proceedings.

Senior CBI officials described the operation as a result of persistent investigation and inter-state coordination. The agency had maintained continuous surveillance and followed leads that ultimately helped track down the fugitives who had changed locations and identities multiple times over the years.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities in banking transactions at the Dhanbad branch during the specified period. Details of the modus operandi and the exact role of the accused will emerge during further investigation and trial, officials added. With these arrests, the Central Bureau of Investigation has once again demonstrated its commitment to pursuing economic offenders regardless of how long it has been since the crime was committed.

The agency is expected to file a chargesheet or seek further remand in accordance with legal requirements in the coming weeks, an official said.