BENGALURU: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Mani M Sekhar, a long-absconding proclaimed offender in a Rs 8-crore bank fraud case, nearly two decades after the crime. The central agency used advanced image search tools and analytical capabilities to track the digital footprints of the absconder, who was living under a pseudonym in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
The case was registered at Central Bureau of Investigation, Bank Security and Frauds Cell (BSFB), Bengaluru, on August 1, 2006, against Ramanujam Muthuramalingam Sekhar alias RM Sekhar, managing director, Indo Marks Pvt Ltd, and his wife Mani Sekhar, director, Indo Marks & BTC Home Products Pvt Ltd, for having “entered into a criminal conspiracy between 2002 and 2005 and dishonestly and fraudulently cheating State Bank of India, Overseas Branch, Bengaluru, to the tune of Rs 800 lakh through the misuse of non-fund-based limits in the name of Indo Marks Pvt Ltd and its sister concerns”, a CBI release said on Thursday.
The agency had filed the chargesheet on December 10, 2007. “Both the accused had failed to join the trial or respond to summons/warrants. Subsequently, they were declared proclaimed offenders on February 27, 2009,” added the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Despite sustained efforts over the years to trace them, the absconding accused had remained untraceable, prompting CBI to announce a reward of Rs 50,000 each for clues to informers. While other co-accused were tried and convicted/acquitted in the case, the trial against the couple remained pending.
“The accused persons had changed their identities and never used the old KYC details. They changed their names to Krishna Kumar Gupta (for the husband) and Geetha Krishna Kumar Gupta (for the wife), their mobile numbers, emails, PAN numbers and other information, which were used before the charge sheet was filed,” the CBI stated.
The use of advanced digital tools and analytical capabilities led to the identification of the accused living under changed names and identities in Indore. With photo matching levels of more than 90 per cent, the image search tools enabled accurate identification despite their assumed identities.
During the operation, Central Bureau of Investigation officials discovered that RM Sekhar had died in 2008 while living under his assumed identity. However, Mani was located and arrested on July 12. She was produced before a court in the city, which remanded her in judicial custody.