The CBI struck gold in its fight against bank fraudsters, capturing two proclaimed offenders wanted in cases totaling over Rs 14 crore. Friday’s meticulously planned raids in separate cities ended years of manhunt for these slippery criminals.
Hailing from Rajasthan and Gujarat, the arrested pair—Sanjay Sharma (aliases: Sanjeev Dixit, Pankaj Bhardwaj) of Banswara and Sheetal Sharma (alias: Aarti Sharma) of Vadodara—had multiple identities to dodge law enforcement. Courts had branded them fugitives after they repeatedly skipped summons.
Delving into the charges, Sanjay was implicated in a 2013 PNB scam worth Rs 9.95 crore, where he and others allegedly manipulated loans and documents. Another plot saw him and Aarti siphoning Rs 4 crore from banking channels the same year.
Aarti’s fugitive status dates to 2016, while Sanjay, previously nabbed by Haryana cops in 2014, fled from Sonipat court in 2016 and vanished. Sleuths pieced together his trail through bank records, call data, and fake IDs he flaunted.
Caught red-handed with bogus papers, the duo now faces court in Delhi following transit remand. This arrest not only closes a dark chapter in banking fraud but signals to white-collar crooks that justice, however delayed, is inevitable.
As probes deepen, more revelations could emerge, reinforcing safeguards in India’s financial sector.