Rs 155 crore scam 106 bogus bank accounts detected

 

 

 

Investigating the Rs 155 crore fraud case, the Crime Branch has detected as many as 106 bogus bank accounts used by the accused to route and launder illicit funds. The accounts, spread across multiple nationalised and private banks, form the backbone of a sophisticated money-laundering racket which was allegedly masterminded by Santosh alias Bunty Rampal Shahu and his associates. According to senior Crime Branch officials, the fraudulent accounts were opened in the names of various persons, many of whom were unaware their identities had been misused. The accused exploited the documents of current and former employees to open these accounts in banks including HDFC, ICICI, Yes Bank, South Indian Bank, Punjab National Bank and several others.

 

Once activated, the accused retained control over the linked SIM cards and bank passbooks and carried out unauthorised financial transactions without the account holders' knowledge. The accounts were then used over a period of three years to channel funds related to hawala operations, online betting and gaming. The Crime Branch has formally written to the concerned banks for the detailed transaction histories of all 106 accounts. “This will help us establish the money trail and build strong, irrefutable evidence against the accused,” a senior official said. The scale of the operation indicates a high level of planning and coordination.

 

The accused used these accounts to move large sums of black money and later withdrew the funds in cash after deducting their commission. The laundering network reportedly helped several clients convert unaccounted cash into clean money. So far, five people have been arrested in connection with the scam - Santosh alias Bunty Rampal Shahu (52) and his brother Jayesh Rampal Shahu (36); Brijkishore Ramvilas Maniyar (59) of Shankar Nagar; Rishi Hitesh Lakhani (21) of Shastri Nagar; Anand Vinod Harde (33) of Surya Nagar, Kalamna. The scam came to light when police traced suspicious financial activity linked to two shell companies - Kshitij Enterprises and Awadh Enterprises. Investigations revealed that Kshitij Enterprises routed funds for 113 fake companies, while Awadh Enterprises was linked to 57 such entities. These firms served as a conduit to divert money into the bogus bank accounts. 

 

Staff not paid full salary

 

Two former employees - Sunil Wankhede and Dilip Fulzele - informed the police that Bunty Shahu had opened shell firms in their names without consent. ‘Sakshi Steel’ was floated in Wankhede’s name and ‘Sonu Glass Traders’ under Fulzele. Both said they were never paid full salaries, despite massive illegal profits generated in the scam.