The Panchkula court on Thursday ordered a two-day remand of Dilip Raghav, the former customer relationship manager of a private bank, in connection with the Rs 160 crore fixed deposit scam involving the Panchkula Municipal Corporation. Raghav was among four accused for whom production warrants were issued by the court. All four had been lodged in Ambala Jail for the past month.
New Facts Emerge in Investigation
The Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau sought Raghav's custody to recover case properties, following new revelations from the interrogation of Pushpinder Kumar, a former senior bank official, and Vikas Kaushik, a former official of the Panchkula Municipal Corporation. During questioning, Kumar and Kaushik detailed the role of forging fake fixed deposits and their placement in the corporation's office, allegedly in collusion with Raghav. The bureau argued that Raghav's custody was necessary to obtain the materials used and further case details.
Court Orders and Other Accused
Granting the bureau's request, the court ordered two days of police custody for Raghav. Meanwhile, the court remanded Swati Tomar, Sonia, Dhiman, and Rajat Dahra to judicial custody after taking their samples on court premises. The case involves the forging of fake FDs from the accounts of the Panchkula Municipal Corporation, with active participation from private bank officials and builders in conspiracy with Vikas Kaushik. The Anti-Corruption Bureau registered the case in March and subsequently arrested the accused.
The scam, which came to light earlier this year, has raised serious questions about the internal controls of the bank and the municipal corporation. Further investigations are ongoing.
