CBI grills Punjab CM’s son-in-law in Simbhaoli case

New Delhi: The CBI on Thursday questioned Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh’s son-in-law Gurpal Singh in connection with its probe into an alleged bank fraud of Rs 97.85 crore by Simbhaoli Sugars Limited in which he was employed.

According to sources, the company’s former CEO G.S.C. Rao was also quizzed by the agency for cheating the Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC)in 2015.

The ED also registered a money laundering case against Uttar Pradesh-based Simbhaoli Sugars Limited and its executives on Thursday on the basis of the CBI’s FIR.

The CBI had registered a case last month against the sugar mill, its chairman Gurmit Singh Mann, the then (in 2015) deputy MD Gurpal Singh (now director) and others in connection with the alleged bank loan fraud case.

Mr Rao, the then CFO Sanjay Tapriya, the then ED Gursimran Kaur Mann and five non-executive directors were also booked by the agency.

The CBI had carried out searches at eight premises, including residences of directors, the sugar factory, the company’s corporate office and registered office in Delhi, Hapur and Noida.

The probe focuses on two loans — Rs 97.85 crore which was declared a fraud in 2015 and another corporate loan of Rs 110 crore which was used to repay the previous loan. The second loan was declared a non-performing asset (NPA) on November 29, 2016, nearly 20 days after scrapping of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes was announced, according to the CBI FIR.

The bank was allegedly cheated to the tune of Rs 97.85 crore, but the loss incurred by the bank was Rs 109.08 crore, the FIR says. The OBC complained to the CBI on November 17, 2017 but the agency registered a case of criminal conspiracy and cheating under the Prevention of Corruption Act on February 22 this year.