Representational Image
CBI teams on Saturday carried out searches at three locations here in connection with alleged Rs 6,000 crore remittances sent from Bank of Baroda to Hong Kong camouflaged as payments for non-existent imports.
The agency searched Ashok Vihar branch of the Bank besides residences of bank officers SK Garg, AGM and Jainish Dubey, Officer, Foreign Exchange.
The unusual remittances were spotted in the audit report of the bank, CBI sources said.
ALSO READ: Black Money Worth Rs 6000 Cr Sent To Overseas Through Govt Bank: Congress
“The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) read with 420 (cheating) of IPC and Section 13(2) r/w 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against 59 current account holders and unknown bank officials and private persons on a complaint from Bank of Baroda,” CBI Spokesperson Devpreet Singh said here.
The FIR alleged that “59 current account holders and unknown bank officials conspired to send overseas remittances, mostly to Hong Kong, of Foreign Exchange worth approximately Rs 6,000 crores in illegal and irregular manner in violation of stablished banking norms under the garb of payments towards suspected non-existent imports.”
The Enforcement Directorate has also registered a case and carried out searches in this connection.
On Friday, Congress had demanded an inquiry into the matter. “It was strange that the money was sent to buy cashew, pulses and rice from Hong Kong,” Congress spokesperson RPN Singh had said.
ALSO READ: Black Money: Government Revises Disclosure Amount To Rs 4,147 Crore