CHENNAI: The nearly a decade-long hunt for an absconding accused in a bank fraud case by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) came to an end with the arrest of the man in Chennai on Monday. Officials said the accused, identified as M Naga Kumar, had changed his identity to Tamil Selvan.
The accused had been evading law enforcement agencies since the investigation began nearly a decade ago. According to the CBI, the case was originally registered on September 29, 2015, following a complaint from the Indian Bank, Chennai North Zone.
The complaint alleged that K Rajendran, proprietor of Sri Sai Baba Real Estates and Constructions, along with chartered accountants Sarathy and Balu, unknown public servants, and others had defrauded the bank of Rs 4.66 crore. The accused persons allegedly submitted forged documents to avail various home loans.
Naga Kumar was identified as one of the borrowers involved in the conspiracy. The CBI had filed a comprehensive charge sheet on March 14, 2017, naming 33 accused individuals, including Kumar. The agency employed coordinated efforts involving sophisticated technological tools and extensive field operations to trace the fugitive, CBI claimed.
During the search, it was discovered that Naga Kumar and his wife had been living in Chennai under assumed identities. Kumar had changed his name to Tamil Selvan, it said, and alleged that he had systematically altered all his official documents to support his new identity.
Following discreet operations to confirm his identity, a CBI team apprehended him from Chennai. The arrested accused was produced before the court in Chennai, which has since remanded him to judicial custody.