MLC Anil Bhosale (right)
PUNE:
The city police’s economic offences wing recently filed a chargesheet
against Nationalist Congress Party’s sitting MLC Anil Bhosale and three
other accused, pegging the total embezzlement
in the Shivajirao Bhosale
cooperative bank at Rs494.45 crore as against the initial Rs71.78 crore mentioned in the FIR.
The
police had arrested Bhosale (55), who is chairman and director of the
bank, along with another director, Suryaji Pandurang Jadhav (69), chief
executive officer Tanaji Dattu Padwal (50) and chief accountant Shailesh
Sampatrao Bhosale (47) on February 25 on the basis of an FIR lodged by
chartered accountant and RBI-assigned auditor Yogesh Lakade.
All
four are lodged in the Yerawada central jail since a special MPID court
on March 6 directed their remand in judicial custody.
On April 24,
special judge S S Gosavi rejected the bail pleas of Anil Bhosale and
Suryaji Jadhav, observing that the police haven’t been able to complete
their investigation due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and
that many details and other suspects need to be investigated. The
chargesheet has named 13 other directors who are under investigation and
a forensic auditor’s report on the money trail is also awaited.
According
to the chargesheet, the alleged fraud includes misuse of power to make
money transfers and unauthorised withdrawals worth Rs101.52 crore and
extending out-of-turn loans worth Rs392.92 crore.
“Almost 97% of the bank’s total loan accounts have been rendered non-performing assets,” the document stated.
The
police have, so far, frozen 112 bank accounts belonging to the four
accused, their relatives and individuals linked with the fraud.
Collectively, these accounts have a balance of Rs1.21 crore.
The
police have also moved a proposal to the district collector for the
attachment of Bhosale’s three pieces of land, totally admeasuring 5.52
hectare, at Karjat in Haveli taluka and an open plot at village
Bholawade in Bhor taluka belonging to Suryaji Jadhav, under the MPID Act
provision.
The chargesheet stated that as on March 31, 2020, the
bank had 93,128 depositors and total deposits worth Rs432..85 crore. The
amount of loans extended was 401.31 crore through 719 loan accounts.
The worth of non-performing assets was Rs392.92 crore and the number of NPA accounts was 432, it added.
Till date, only 1,731 depositors have been able to furnish their written
complaints about the bank’s inabiity to refund their deposits despite
repeated follow-ups and more were expected to make such complaints but
could not due to the pandemic, the chargesheet stated.