The Rs2.90-crore misappropriation case against former president of Board of Control for Cricket in India, Jagmohan Dalmiya, might just be the tip of the iceberg.
EOW is likely to file charge sheet in misappropriation case against BCCI’s former chief on Wednesday, to probe four other bank accounts
MUMBAI: The Rs2.90-crore misappropriation case against former president of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Jagmohan Dalmiya, might just be the tip of the iceberg and the actual fraud could run into several crores of rupees, officials of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police, which is investigating the case, said on Monday.
According to a senior EOW official, in 1996, the bank account of the World Cup Pakistan-India-Lanka Committee (PILCOM) was opened in London by members of the cricket boards of the three countries. Against this account, Income Tax (India) had filed around 64 cases.
Meanwhile, the BCCI had simultaneously started five bank accounts in India in the name of INDCOM during the World Cup.
“One of the accounts was opened in Kolkata and was exclusively meant for the legal expenditure to tackle the I-T cases,” said joint commissioner of police (crime), Rakesh Maria, who heads the EOW.
Maria said the BCCI had deposited Rs6.94crore in the account. “But Dalmiya used the money for hotel and telephone bills, foreign exchange purchases, car rentals, and stationery. His associate, KM Chaudhary, was made the signatory authority for withdrawal of money from this account, which was illegal,” he said.
He further said that one Gautam Dutta, who had a company known as SG Traders, had provided car rental and stationery services to the BCCI. But investigations revealed that money from the account had again been misused to make payments to Dutta.
“When we checked SG Traders’ receipts of car rental and stationery worth Rs2.90 crore, the registration numbers of most of the vehicles were of two-wheelers and trucks. What does the BCCI have to do with such vehicles?” wondered Maria.
The EOW is also investigating the four other INDCOM accounts. It suspects that the fraud could be much larger than it appears. “There was Rs47.34 crore when the five accounts were opened. And from 1997 till February 2006, Rs47.16 crore was from these accounts. We are scrutinising the details of all these accounts,” Maria said.
When contacted, Dalmiya said he has said whatever he has to say in a press release issued to various media houses. The press release, however, gives his reaction to media reports that the police will file a charge sheet against him in the Rs2.9crore case.
The BCCI had on March 16, 2006, filed the case against Dalmiya alleging that he had diverted funds meant for legal fees towards other expenses, including for payment of his phone bills.
The case was filed after Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar took over as BCCI’s head. The EOW is expected to file the charge sheet on Wednesday.
s_somendranath@dnaindia.net
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