INDIA. Mumbai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested five individuals, including two retired officials, one from the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) and the other from the Bank of Baroda in Delhi, as well as three others, on charges of causing a loss of Rs. 31.50 crore to the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA). These arrests occurred on Monday.
All the accused individuals have been presented before the Competent Court and subsequently remanded to Judicial Custody. Prior to the arrests, searches were conducted at 12 different locations, including Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, and Himachal Pradesh.
The case originated from a complaint filed by the RLDA, a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Railways. The complaint named unknown public servants and private individuals as responsible for causing a loss of Rs. 31.50 crore to RLDA.
Among the accused were officials from the Bank of Baroda’s Vishwas Nagar Branch in New Delhi.
The allegations center around RLDA’s initial investment of Rs. 35 crore in the form of a Fixed Deposit (FD) for one year at the Bank of Baroda in Shahdara, Delhi. The maturity proceeds were meant to be reinvested for a period of three months.
However, the bank only invested Rs. 3.50 crore in a Fixed Deposit (FD) for three months, while the remaining Rs. 31.50 crore were diverted to various shell companies with the collusion of Bank officials, RLDA officials, and private individuals.
Subsequently, the money was withdrawn and misappropriated, as stated in an official statement.
RLDA had entrusted Rs. 31.50 crore to the bank for investment purposes, but it was misappropriated using forged letters/advisories that were purported to have been issued by RLDA officials.
This occurred with the involvement of Bank of Baroda officials in a conspiracy with individuals located in Mumbai, Delhi, and other locations. Both RLDA and Bank officials were implicated in the scheme.
Patnitop development authority
In a separate development, the CBI filed six separate chargesheets in a case related to extensive illegal constructions and land encroachments in the tourist location of the Patnitop area in Udhampur District of Jammu and Kashmir. This filing was done before the Competent Court in Jammu on Monday.
The accused individuals include two former CEOs of the Patnitop Development Authority (PDA), two Khilafwarzi Inspectors of PDA, and the proprietors/partners of certain hotels.
The case was registered against eight former public servants, including former CEOs of PDA, as well as the owners and proprietors of hotels, resorts, and guesthouses. The allegations pertain to large-scale illegal construction and encroachment on tourist land.
The first chargesheet was filed on October 7, with the remaining five chargesheets filed on October 9. Searches were conducted at various locations, including Jammu, Udhampur, and Kathua Districts of Jammu and Kashmir, at the offices and residential premises of the accused.
These searches led to the recovery of incriminating documents, substantial investments in Fixed Deposits, and immovable properties, among other findings.
A Preliminary Enquiry was previously conducted on the directions of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court. The allegations were centered on public servants with authority over land in Patnitop, who, in conspiracy with the owners and proprietors of hotels, guesthouses, resorts, and more, failed to protect the government’s interests.
They allowed illegal constructions and the unlawful use of land designated for agriculture, parking areas, and residential purposes, in violation of the Master Plan of PDA.
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