CBI files closure report in Rs 570 crore seizure

A CBI probe into the seizure was ordered based on a plea moved by DMK leader TKS Elangovan, who suspected foul play as the trucks laden with cash had no official papers on it. He had contended that all the trucks had Andhra Pradesh registration numbers belonging to other vehicles. 

Senior Counsel P Wilson, who had argued on behalf of DMK, said the bank documents were fake and bogus. The false letters that had come days after the takeover of the cash by the SBI claiming that they had obtained permission from RBI Chennai. While RBI had not given such a clearance, showed that the money had been used for hawala transactions and was probably from crime proceeds, he said.

Wilson had submitted that bank officials have conspired together and created forged documents with fake authorisation from RBI, Chennai, to transport a huge sum of hawala money. Based on this, Justice R Subbaiah had ordered for a CBI probe despite CBI in a status report claiming that RBI and SBI had not been made parties to the case. 

However, sources indicate that the closure report filed by the CBI rules out any foul play and that the money under question does belong to the bank.