CBI Takes Over ₹184 Crore Fake Bank Guarantee Scam Linked to MP Jal Nigam Projects
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: 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.
