At the intervention of the Iranian Embassy, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against unknown officials of UCO Bank and the owners of some private firms for allegedly defrauding a Tehran-based company of ₹18.64 crore.
The agency has named 12 entities, including half-a-dozen companies in Delhi, Gurugram and Mumbai, besides unknown officials of the Parliament Street branch of UCO Bank, as accused in the case registered on the basis of a complaint from the Embassy. The complainant, the proprietor of the Tehran-based Wist General Trading, said the Indian government wanted to give incentives to nations for doing business with India. In response, the Iranian nationals wanted to do business with their Indian counterparts. The businessman, dealing in dry fruits, was introduced to the accused, Rajesh Khanna, who allegedly introduced himself as the biggest exporter of dryfruits in the world.
He and the other accused convinced the businessman to get into a contract for supply of cashew nuts worth ₹18.64 crore. The terms included payment of the amount in advance. The talks formally began in January 2015.
“The performa invoice was prepared by the seller, with the intention of cheating the buyer… The sellers were neither having any stock of cashew nuts nor did they ever intend to supply the same,” the complaint said. The businessman deposited the whole consideration amount in bank. The money, transferred from Kish International Bank, was to be released by UCO Bank only after verifying that the consignment was shipped to the buyer.
However, it is alleged that the accused got the amount released in connivance with some bank officials.
