Bank fraud: Min orders high-level probe into role of senior cop ‘cleared earlier’ | Mumbai News

Mumbai: Junior home minister Yogesh Kadam on Monday said an inquiry by either a DCP-level officer or a senior official from Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), if necessary, will be ordered into allegations of bribery made by legislators against a senior police officer in a case involving misappropriation of Rs 1.8 crore from North Kanara Gaud Saraswat Cooperative Bank.MLC Prasad Lad brought the matter to the attention of the legislative council through a calling attention motion. The council’s deputy chairperson, Neelam Gorhe, ordered the cooperation department to also conduct a thorough probe into bank officials’ roles.“It was revealed that a large-scale misappropriation of funds took place through diversion of crores of rupees from the frozen account of UB Engineering Company into various other accounts. An official complaint has been filed with the economic offences wing against the bank’s chairman, vice-chairman, board of directors and other officials. Following the complaint, the chairman and the vice-chairman reportedly bribed a senior police inspector to prevent any action against them,” Lad said.Both Lad and MLC Pravin Darekar identified the police officer as Deepak Dalvi and demanded stringent action against him. Darekar demanded his suspension. Dalvi was unavailable for comment.Kadam said an inquiry was earlier conducted against the officer, which found no evidence linking him to monetary gains in the fraud. “In fact, the fraud was by bank officials who have been penalised by RBI and have already paid Rs 50 lakh as fine. In the case of the police officer, we came to know that he had taken two bank loans and was negligent in the investigation, for which an inquiry was conducted. But we couldn’t find any proof of him being involved in corruption,” he said.But after repeated demands from MLCs, Kadam announced that a high-level inquiry would be ordered to ascertain if Dalvi or any other police officer was involved in the case.Gorhe said that the bank officials’ role should also be probed by the state cooperation department. Kadam said a forensic audit of the bank has been conducted, adding that if any bank official is found guilty, s/he will face stringent punishment.