CBI questions Amarinder Singh’s son-in-law over Oriental Bank of Commerce fraud

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday questioned Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s son-in-law Gurpal Singh in connection with Oriental Bank of Commerce fraud worth Rs 109 crore.

The CBI also questioned former CEO of Simbhaoli Sugars GSC Rao. Gurpal Singh is the deputy manager of Simbhaoli Sugars.

This came days after the Enforcement Directorate ED has registered case in Simbhaoli Sugars Limited alleged bank fraud case. Oriental Bank of Commerce has alleged that directors of Simbhaoli Sugar Mill defrauded the bank of Rs 109 crore.

ED has also asked the bank to provide additional documents in connection with the case.

According to the financial probe agency, the case was registered against Simbhaoli Sugars chairman Gurmit Singh Mann, GSC Rao, CFO Sanjay Tapriya, executive director Gursimran Kaur Mann and other company officials.

Besides, some more bank officials in connection with the alleged bank fraud involving the sugar mill and the Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) were also booked for money laundering.

The ED official said the agency had carried out searches on Wednesday in Uttar Pradesh's Hapur and Ghaziabad.

The CBI, earlier on February 22, had booked Gurpal Singh, son-in-law of Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and 12 others including Mann, Rao, Tapriya, executive director Gursimran Kaur Mann and other company officials along with some bank officials in connection with the same bank fraud.

According to the CBI officials, 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 of the RBI Scheme to 5,762 sugarcane farmers supplying produce to said private company during the period from January 25 to March 13, 2012.

It has been alleged that the company had diverted funds for personal use. The account turned Non Performing Asset (NPA) on March 31, 2015 and was later declared as alleged fraud by the bank to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on May 13, 2015 for an amount of Rs 97.85 crore.