CBI arrests SBI fraud accused
CBI Nabs SBI Fraud Fugitive After 20-Year Manhunt
Hyderabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has successfully arrested V Chalapathi Rao, who evaded authorities for two decades after defrauding the State Bank of India (SBI) to the tune of Rs. 50 lakh. Rao, a former computer operator at SBI’s Chandulal Baradari branch in Hyderabad, was finally apprehended in a remote village in Tamil Nadu.
In 2002, Chalapathi Rao executed a sophisticated fraud scheme, fabricating quotations from electronic shops and creating fake salary certificates in the names of his family members and close associates. By doing so, he misappropriated Rs. 50 lakh from SBI. Following the discovery of the fraud, the CBI registered a case against him.
Rao went missing in 2004, and his wife, who is also implicated in the fraud, filed a missing person’s complaint at Kamatipura police station to mislead investigators. She even petitioned the Civil Court to declare him dead after seven years of disappearance, and the court issued a decree to that effect.
Despite these efforts to throw the CBI off his trail, the investigation persisted. Rao’s wife obtained a stay from the High Court of Telangana to prevent the attachment of their property, further complicating the case. Meanwhile, Rao continuously changed his location, contact numbers, and identity to avoid capture.
In a relentless pursuit, the CBI traced Rao to Salem, Tamil Nadu, where he had adopted a new identity as M. Vineet Kumar and married another woman in 2007. He even acquired a new Aadhaar card under this alias. However, he maintained contact with his son from his first marriage, which eventually provided the CBI with crucial leads.
Rao’s evasive maneuvers included moving from Salem to Bhopal, where he worked as a loan recovery agent, and then to Rudrapur in Uttarakhand, where he took a job at a school. The CBI tracked him to Rudrapur in 2016, but he had already fled by the time they arrived.
Using his Aadhaar details and email IDs linked to the name M. Vineet Kumar, the CBI approached the Gmail Law Enforcement Department for assistance. This collaboration revealed that Rao had relocated to an Ashram in Verul village, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, where he assumed a new identity as Swamy Vidhitatmanand Teertha and obtained another Aadhaar card.
In December 2021, Rao allegedly defrauded the Ashram of approximately Rs. 70 lakh before moving again, this time to Bharatpur, Rajasthan. He stayed in Bharatpur until July 8, 2024, and then shifted to Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, where he hid with one of his disciples. During this period, Rao changed his contact numbers multiple times, making it difficult for authorities to track him.
Rao’s final plan involved escaping to Sri Lanka by sea. However, the CBI, determined to bring him to justice, continued to follow every lead. On Sunday, they successfully arrested him in Narsinganallur village, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, ending his two-decade-long run from the law.
The arrest of V Chalapathi Rao highlights the persistence and dedication of the CBI in bringing fugitives to justice, no matter how long it takes. This case also underscores the importance of robust measures to prevent and detect fraud within financial institutions.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested V Chalapathi Rao, a Proclaimed Offender (PO) absconding in a bank fraud case who frequently changed his identity and locations to avoid being caught
The CBI had registered a bank fraud case on May 1, 2002, against the accused, then a computer operator with State Bank of India (SBI), Chandulal Baradari branch. Rao was alleged to have cheated SBI of Rs 50 lakh on the basis of fabricated quotations of electronic shops and fake salary certificates created in the names of his family members and close associates. On completion of the investigation, CBI filed two chargesheets.