NEW DELHI/BENGALURU: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a seasoned absconder in a Rs 12.63 crore bank fraud case. Accused Nasreen Taj was arrested in Bengaluru on July 19, ending almost seven years of chase.
The case, which was initially filed by the CBI on April 15, pertained to a criminal conspiracy to cheat Syndicate Bank’s Mandya Branch.
The accused in the case included then-branch manager Asadullah Khan, his wife Nasreen Taj and a few others.
Nasreen Taj had no separate source of income, but, in collusion with her husband and others, she fictitiously utilised a Temporary Overdraft (TOD) facility of Rs 1.2 crore and agriculture loans of Rs 55 lakh from the bank.
The funds approved for agricultural use were illegally diverted to clear the overdraft against loan conditions.
A charge sheet was also presented against Nasreen Taj on October 12, 2010. She, however, did not appear in court and went untraceable in 2019.
Several non-bailable warrants were made out, and the Special Court in Bengaluru issued a proclamation and attachment of property against her on November 27, 2021.
Nasreen Taj went out of her way to estrange herself from her family, moved constantly, used the alias “Salma”, and lied to locals and employers alike about who she really was. Her strategies made it very hard to track her down.
CBI probes, using a mix of sophisticated technology, identity-tracking equipment, and field intelligence, finally located her in Bengaluru. After verification of her identity, she was arrested and presented before the competent court, which remanded her to judicial custody.