After 25 years, CBI arrests bank fraud accused who had fled to US

THE CBI has arrested and repatriated a man accused in a 25-year-old bank fraud case with the help of Interpol.

In a statement, the CBI said the operation was handled by its Global Operations Centre in coordination with Interpol channels along with the National Central Bureau-Washington.

The accused, Rajiv Mehta, was wanted by the CBI in a criminal case registered in 1998, involving offences of cheating, theft and criminal conspiracy. He had fled to the US to avoid arrest.

A Red Notice was issued by the CBI against Rajiv Mehta from the Interpol General Secretariat on June 16, 2000. This notice was circulated to all Interpol member countries to locate and arrest the accused.

Mehta was located by the US authorities following close follow-up through Interpol.

The charges against Mehta stem from the creation of fake bank accounts in the Central Bank of India's branch in Delhi's Greater Kailash-II. The CBI said that Mehta created these accounts to intercept drafts of various parties in transit and encash them.

He was declared a proclaimed offender by the court in 1999.

"The CBI, serving as the National Central Bureau for INTERPOL in India, works tirelessly to coordinate with all law enforcement agencies in the country for assistance via Interpol channels," the agency spokesperson told India Today TV.