CBI cracks down on loan defaulters

New Delhi: The CBI on Tuesday launched a special drive in connection with banking scams across the country and registered 14 cases. The CBI teams swooped down at 48 locations in 12 states and Union Territories in a coordinated action against the promoters and directors of the companies made accused in the cases.

Sources said over 300 officers drawn from various units of the agency swooped down at over 48 locations and knocked the doors of alleged defaulters on the basis of complaints received from various nationalised banks and inputs developed by the agency under close monitoring of CBI director Rishi Kumar Shukla and senior officials in Delhi.

The figure, which stood at around Rs 640 crore, swelled to Rs 1,139 crore as the agency continued filing of FIRs during the day and expanding its search operations.

The agency officials carried out searches at promoters and directors of Winsome Diamonds (Mumbai) founded by absconding diamantaire Jatin Mehta who was booked in a fresh FIR registered under this operation. This was the 16th FIR against Mehta accusing him of allegedly defaulting Rs 202 crore from Exim Bank. He is accused of allegedly swindling funds to the tune of Rs 6,500 crore.

The searches in Mumbai also covered two other firms booked in separate FIRs on a complaint by Union Bank of India. Five places were searched in connection with Rs 57 crore loss caused to the bank by Supamad Trading Pvt Ltd and one place was searched in connection with Asuti Trading Pvt Ltd for causing loss of Rs 50 crore to the bank. Two places were searched in Delhi and Mumbai in connection with Asuti Trading. By evening, the agency had already registered 17 FIRs across the country and the process of registering more is going on, they said. The searches were being conducted in Delhi, Mumbai, Ludhiana, Thane, Valsad, Pune, Palani, Gaya, Gurugram, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Surat and Kolar, among others, the officials said.

Other companies which have been booked by the agency in separate FIRs include Ludhiana-based Supreme Tex Mart for causing a loss of Rs 143.25 crore to SBI, Bengaluru-based Aegan Batteries for loss of Rs 98.75 crore to SBI, Gaya-based Ramnanndi Hotels and Resorts Ltd for loss of Rs 131.79 crore to Central Bank of India and Noida-based Naftogaz India Pvt Ltd for causing loss of Rs 93 crore to Corporation Bank. Delhi-based SL Consumer Products Ltd has been booked by the CBI for causing loss to Union Bank of India to the tune of Rs 55 crore.