CBI raids 5 locations in Kolkata, including Alipore & New Town, in bank fraud case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) intensified its crackdown on financial corruption in Kolkata on Thursday morning. A high-priority search operation was launched at the 'Ganesh Court' luxury apartment on Alipore New Road. Armed with specific intelligence and backed by reinforced paramilitary forces, investigators entered the fifth-floor residence of businessman Sumit Kumar Kejriwal. This raid is part of a broader "combing search" involving five locations across the city linked to a legacy bank fraud case.

The probe originates from a formal complaint filed by Indian Bank (formerly Allahabad Bank) regarding a loan default and embezzlement involving ₹561.71 Lakh. According to the FIR registered by CBI's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Ranchi, M/s. Rajeshwari Iron & Steel Co. Pvt. Ltd. and its directors, Sumit Kumar Kejriwal and Asha Kejriwal, conspired to cheat the Jamshedpur Main Branch of the bank. The accused allegedly used forged documents to avail credit facilities and subsequently diverted the funds, violating multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The investigation has also named an impersonator, Pravash Kumar Mukherjee, a resident of Bishnupur, South 24 Parganas, as a key conspirator. The CBI alleges that the directors worked in tandem with unknown public servants and private individuals to facilitate the criminal breach of trust. By Thursday afternoon, the agency had secured several digital devices and physical ledgers from the Alipore premises, seeking to trace the end-use of the siphoned loan amount.

This operation follows the necessary legal notifications issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the Government of Jharkhand, authorizing the CBI to investigate these cognizable offences within West Bengal. The agency is currently investigating whether the diverted funds were used to acquire high-value assets in Kolkata or were transferred through shell companies. The presence of central security personnel both inside and outside the Alipore high-rise underscores the high-stakes nature of this financial probe.