NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday raided
67 locations
in seven cities of Rajasthan and Maharashtra as part of its
probe
in connection with the Rs 820 crore
IMPS scam
linked to
UCO Bank
.
The central agency has been probing 8,53,049 IMPS (Immediate Payment System) transactions that took place between November 10 and November 13 last year in UCO Bank.
“IMPS inward transactions initiated from around 14,600 account holders of seven
private banks
were wrongfully posted in the accounts of over 41,000 UCO Bank account holders. This resulted in Rs 820 crore being credited to UCO Bank accounts without actual debiting from the originating banks,” the CBI spokesperson said.
The official said searches in Rajasthan and Maharashtra focused on those who received the money or withdrew it rather than returning it to the bank.
“Earlier in December 2023, searches were conducted at 13 locations involving private individuals and UCO Bank officials in Kolkata and Mangalore,” the spokesperson said.
The CBI officials with the help of 330 police personnel, including 120 from Rajasthan, conducted the search spread across cities like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Jalore, Barmer and Pune in Maharashtra. The personnel were divided into 40 teams for the search that also had 80 independent witnesses.
“During these operations, approximately 130 incriminating documents related to UCO Bank and IDFC, as well as 43 digital devices (including 40 mobile phones, 2 hard disks, and 1 internet dongle) were seized for forensic analysis.
“Additionally, 30 suspects were also found and examined on the spot,” the spokesperson said.
(With PTI inputs)