Officials of cooperative bank run by Munde family under CBI lens

The case came after searches conducted by the CBI at 11 official and residential premises of the accused persons in Pune, Mumbai, Aurangabad and Beed, said CBI officials.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday registered a case against four officials of the Vaidyanath Cooperative Urban Bank Ltd and some others, including a doctor from Mumbai, for entering into a conspiracy and illegally transporting Rs 25 crore in demonetised currency for changing it to legal tender.

State women and child development minister Pankaja Munde (HT Photo)

Pritam Munde, BJP MP and sister of Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde, is a director of the bank. The case came after searches conducted by the CBI at 11 official and residential premises of the accused persons in Pune, Mumbai, Aurangabad and Beed, said CBI officials.

The CBI booked managers of the bank’s Pimpri-Chinchwad and Ghatkopar branches, two other bank officials, a doctor from Mumbai, and some others. According to CBI officials, the bank officials along with some others transported Rs 25 crores in old notes from Beed to Mumbai to convert them into new notes.

“It was alleged that the accused entered into a conspiracy and fraudulently transported Rs 25 crore in demonetised currency from the head office of Vaidyanath Cooperative Urban Bank, Beed, Maharashtra, to their Ghatkopar Branch on November 19 for changing it to legal tender. Of the said amount, a sum of Rs 15 crore was allegedly deposited with Maharashtra State Urban Co-operative Bank and the balance amount of around Rs 10 crore (ie Rs 10 lakh in new currency of Rs 2,000/- denomination and the balance in old denomination of Rs 500/-) was being transported back to Beed, when they were intercepted by the state police on December 15,” said a CBI spokesperson.