Jaipur, February 27 – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a proclaimed offender who had been evading arrest for nearly three decades in connection with a bank fraud case dating back to 1992, according to an official statement issued on Friday.
The case involves fraudulent financial transactions that allegedly caused wrongful loss to the former State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur (SBBJ), which later merged with the State Bank of India.
Following a thorough investigation, the CBI filed a charge sheet in 1996 against multiple accused persons.
After the trial, nine accused were convicted by the competent court. However, one of the accused – identified as Anant Tambedkar, also known as Anant Tambitkar – allegedly involved in forgery and other criminal misconduct linked to the fraudulent transactions, absconded after the filing of the charge sheet.
Due to his continued absence, the court declared him a proclaimed offender and separated his trial from that of the other accused.
Despite repeated efforts over the years, the accused remained untraceable for almost 30 years, and his trial was separated by the court.
According to the CBI, a breakthrough was achieved recently through technical intelligence inputs and sustained field verification. The agency tracked his location to Mumbai, where a special team apprehended him on Thursday, February 26.
After completing the necessary legal formalities, the accused was produced before the competent court, which remanded him to judicial custody.
Further legal proceedings in the long-standing matter are now set to resume.
The CBI's actions are being considered a major success against economic criminals who have been evading arrest for such a long time.
The CBI actively investigates fraud and bribery cases, leading to arrests and convictions, including imprisonment and fines.