New Delhi: The CBI on Sunday registered a bank fraud cases against a Uttar Pradesh based private sugar company, its top officials along with unknown bank officials for allegedly causing loss of Rs 109 crore to Oriental Bank of Commerce, officials said.
According to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials, the Hapur-based Simbhaoli Sugars Ltd in 2011 fraudulently diverted funds received as loans for sugarcane farmers and self help groups.
CBI also conducted searches at offices of the company and residences of its officials at eight places, including one location each in Hapur and Noida, and six locations in Delhi.
"Searches are being conducted at eight premises including residences of Directors, factory, corporate office and registered office of the company in Delhi, Hapur and Noida," CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal told IANS.
The agency has named the company's Chairman and Managing Director, its Directors, CEO, Chief Financial Officer and unknown bank officials and other private persons, under charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery slapping sections under Prevention of Corruption Act for causing loss to the bank.
Officials said that the Bank sanctioned a loan amounting to Rs 148.60 crore in 2011 to the private company for financing individual, Joint Liability Groups, Self-Help Groups under the tie-up arrangement under the RBI Scheme to 5,762 sugarcane farmers supplying sugar produce to said private company during the period from January 25 to March 13, 2012. It has been alleged that the company has diverted funds for personal use.
According to complaint, the account turned Non Performing Asset (NPA) on March 31, 2015 and was later declared as alleged fraud by the bank to RBI on May 13, 2015 for an amount of Rs 97.85 crore.
It was further alleged that in addition to the existing NPA as on March 31, 2015, the bank, under multiple banking arrangements, had sanctioned another corporate loan of Rs 110 crore to the sugar company on January 28, 2015, to pay its outstanding loan of Rs 97.85 crore, and adjusted the total liability of Rs. 112.9 crore of said private company on June 30, 2016 by way of deposit of this new corporate loan.
The corporate loan, too turned into an NPA on November 29, 2016, thus resulting in its first outstanding loan of Rs 97.85 crore (as alleged fraud) and the corporate loan of Rs 109.08 crore (as fresh outstanding).
CBI is now investigating the matter, officials said.
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New Delhi (PTI): AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday responded to the Election Commission notice over his claim the Haryana government was "mixing poison" in Yamuna, and said raw water received from the BJP-ruled state in the recent past has been "highly contaminated and extremely poisonous" for human health.
In the 14-page reply to the Election Commission, the former Delhi chief minister said if such "toxic water" is allowed to be consumed by human population it would lead to grave health hazard and fatality.
Kejriwal said he only wanted to highlight the "urgent public health crisis" due to the quality of drinking water in the city, and he violated no law or Model Code of Conduct, hence the issue should be closed.
He said the "alleged statements" attributed to him were made as it was his public duty to red flag the "severe toxicity and contamination" of raw water received from the BJP-ruled state.
Following a complaint filed by the BJP over the matter, the Election Commission issued the notice to Kejriwal on Tuesday, giving him time till Wednesday 8 pm to furnish his reply.
Kejriwal also said the ammonia level in raw water received from Haryana was so "extreme" that water treatment plants in Delhi are unable to process and bring it down to safe and permissible limits for human consumption.
Following their party chief's response, the AAP issued a statement, saying, "It is an undisputed fact that there is 7 ppm ammonia in Yamuna water, A Delhi Jal Board CEO letter admits toxicity is 700 percent higher than the permissible limit."
In his response to the EC, Kejriwal also alleged that Haryana's "failure" in controlling pollution in Yamuna has resulted in an "unprecedented public health crisis" in Delhi. He alleged "indiscriminate" discharge of industrial waste in the river by the state.
The AAP supremo said Haryana is an upper-riparian state and Delhi, ruled by his party, has no role to play in the high level of toxic water being made available to the city.
"Due to such high level of toxic content in the raw water supplied by Haryana, the water treatment plants in Delhi are operating below capacity and there is a shortage of treated water in Delhi," he claimed.
Saying that access to clean water is a basic human right, the AAP chief asserted that raising this critical issue cannot be considered an offence.
"The said statement by no stretch of the imagination can be termed inciting enmity between different groups or prejudicial to national integration," he said.
On the contrary, the substance and purpose of these statements are rooted solely in the public interest, aimed at highlighting a legitimate civic concern that requires urgent institutional intervention, he asserted.
He requested the EC to intervene in the matter and issue appropriate directions to Haryana so safe water is made available to the people of Delhi.