Kirit Somaiya hails police action, claims outcome of his efforts.
The scam is pegged at Rs 500 Cr
Mumbai: In a much needed relief to the thousands of hapless depositors and account holders of Karnala Cooperative Bank, Panvel police has finally booked 63 persons including the members of board of directors of the bank and former MLA Vivek Patil of Peasants and Workers Party of India (PWPI). The FIR lodged by the Panvel police has alleged that the 76 accused including former MLA Vivek Patil, members of the board of directors, and chief executive officer of the Karnala Cooperative Bank, connived to misappropriate the funds to the tune of more than Rs 500 Cr to dupe the account holders and depositors of the bank.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya has forcefully demanded offence should be registered against the culprits. The board of directors of the bank siphoned off huge funds on the basis of forged documents and bogus account holders. The investigations into the matter have revealed that the board of directors in connivance opened 63 accounts and used them to swindle Rs 500 Cr using forged documents.
Somaiya had alleged that the chairman of the bank and former MLA Vivek Patil had swindled funds to the tune of Rs 1,000 Cr from the bank. He had alleged that former MLA Vivek Patil siphoned off huge amount and transferred it to a trust owned by him. The subsequent audit by cooperative department and Reserve Bank revealed that the Vivek Patil swindled the money over eight years, Somaiya had alleged.
According to Somaiya, Vivek Patil opened 63 bogus accounts in the name of his party workers and deposited more than Rs 700 in these accounts as loans, which was later transferred to Karnala Sports Club and Karnala Charitable Trust, which are controlled by Patil.
