The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has officially taken charge of the investigation into the ₹184 crore fake bank guarantee scam related to Madhya Pradesh Jal Nigam projects, following a directive from the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The agency’s Bhopal unit registered an FIR on Friday, assigning the case to DSP Deepak Purohit of the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch. The scam centers on a guarantee submitted by infrastructure company Tirth Gopicon on March 20, 2023, which was allegedly issued by a nationalised bank’s Baguihati branch in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. Jal Nigam later flagged the document as forged and served a notice to the firm.
Tirth Gopicon responded by filing a petition in the Madhya Pradesh High Court, claiming that it was a victim of fraud and that the bank was responsible. The company had also previously lodged a complaint with Raoji Bazaar police station in Indore.
Acting on the petition, a division bench led by Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Vivek Jain ordered a CBI probe to determine whether the company was complicit or had been deceived. The CBI has been instructed to submit a comprehensive report to the court by June 30.
The CBI FIR includes serious charges under the Indian Penal Code:
- Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy)
- Section 420 (cheating)
- Section 467 (forgery of valuable security)
- Section 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating)
- Section 471 (using forged document as genuine)
The investigation will focus on the roles played by both Tirth Gopicon and the concerned bank, with the goal of uncovering the true source and beneficiaries of the fraudulent guarantee.
