CBI withdraws ageing cases as accused stage vanishing act

Some cases, including those in Ktaka, lasted as long as 40 years

Some of the  cases, including those in Karnataka,  have lasted as long as 40 years with many accused in them not surviving the trial  and others simply doing the vanishing act. The agency has withdrawn 16 cases in all.   CBI officials told Deccan Herald that cases involving citizens of Jordan, Syria and Nigeria had to be closed, since the accused have sneaked back to their countries with which India does not have extradition treaty. The closed corruption cases at home ranged from as little as Rs 2,000 to Rs 5 crore. 

In 1968, Gangadhara Mahadevappa Gotagi of Bangalore  had  forged 40 postal money orders purported to be issued by Anekal Sub-post office , Bangalore, to his address and fraudulently received Rs 7,500.  Gotagi went underground and remained untraceable for last four decades.  On CBI's request  the court ordered  closure of the case on August 23, 2008.

In another case relating to Bangalore, an accused identified as Govardhanagiri- had misappropriated Rs 2,380 from cash collection counter of the post office over 40 years ago.  " The accused was last seen in 1968 and his whereabouts are not known ever since," said the CBI explaining the reasons for closing the file.  The CBI has also closed a case in which Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Nhava Sheva, Maharashtra, incurred a huge loss of Rs 5.16 crore following the to  awarding of a contract by Michel Philip Pinto, the then Chairman of JNPT and others,   for transporting containers to Ornate Multi Modal Carriers Ltd, Mumbai. The contract, in 2002-03, allegedly caused Rs 5.16 crore loss to the government and  "corresponding gains" to the private company.

 "The government decided to withdraw the case on the Representation of the petitioner and case was closed on April 3, 2006", The agency said without explaining the stand.
In a lesser case dating back to 1978 , P  V Krishna, a Deputy divisional manager  NDMC, Vishakapattanam , allegedly took pecuniary advantage of  Rs 2,250 by acquiring a new refrigerator of 140 litres costing Rs 3,250 for Rs 1,000 from “Euhlar Engineers,” in Vishakhapattanam. Like the domestic ones, cases against foreign nationals were closed for the same reason of "disappearance."

Jordanian national  Ziad Ahmed Qusaymah, who is not traceable, sought  to import 10,000 goats posing  as an Indian, Khalid Walid, and en-cashed forged DD purportedly of Thomas Cook Al Rustamani Exchange Company Dubai from Vijaya Bank, New Delhi.
A 40-year-old case of cheating the Dena bank was withdrawn as six of the eight accused  were dead and the other two went missing.

The 1966  case relates to  Jit Paul Pyare Lal partners, Kolkata and Aminchand Pyre Lal company.