CBI arrests proclaimed offender from Kerala in 15-year-old bank fraud case

New Delhi, Sep 21 (PTI) The CBI has arrested a proclaimed offender in connection with a 15-year old bank fraud case in which he was allegedly evading the law, officials said on Sunday.

A resident of Kollam district in Kerala, Surendran J was wanted for cheating the Bank of India in Ludhiana, Punjab, in 2010 by availing foreign bill purchase credit facility to the tune of Rs 150 lakh on the strength of forged and fake documents for his company Stich and Ship, a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.

"The accused was the principal conspirator in the said conspiracy. A chargesheet was filed in the court of SJM, CBI, in Mohali, Punjab, against Surendran and others," she said.

Surendran did not join the trial and was declared a proclaimed offender in 2012, she added.

"Despite sustained efforts, he remained untraceable. Recently, on the basis of technical intelligence and ground verification, his location was pinpointed in Kollam, leading to his arrest by a CBI team," the spokesperson said.

Surendran was produced before a Mohali court on Saturday, which sent him to judicial custody. PTI ABS ARI