Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 15: In a significant breakthrough, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested four members of the Churewal family from Maharashtra, who had been absconding for nearly 15 years in connection with a high-profile bank fraud case. The accused, declared absconders by a Special Court back in 2010, were finally tracked down and taken into custody, an official confirmed on Monday.

A cash reward of Rs 1 lakh each had been offered earlier by the CBI for any information leading to their capture.

The arrested individuals—Rajkumar, Madhav, Dipak, and Rajesh Churewal—were found in Nagpur and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. During their time on the run, the accused allegedly secured a fresh loan from the Bank of India using false identities, which they later defaulted on, according to the CBI.

Rajkumar and Madhav Churewal were linked to two separate bank fraud cases registered in 2004 and 2007 by the Kolkata CBI unit, while Dipak and Rajesh were involved in the 2007 case. Another family member, Surendra Kumar Churewal, also declared an absconder, is reported to have died.

To evade arrest, the accused had obtained forged government IDs under fake names. Recent intelligence allowed CBI’s Economic Offences Branch in Kolkata to identify their new aliases and locations, leading to coordinated raids on Sunday.

Rajkumar, Madhav, and Dipak were apprehended at two locations in Nagpur, while Rajesh was arrested from Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. They will be produced in court in Kolkata shortly.

The CBI is preparing to file a fresh case against them for cheating by impersonation, forgery, and related offenses in coordination with state police authorities.