PMC Bank scam key accused nabbed in Bihar while trying to flee India

A key accused in the infamous PMC bank scam of Maharashtra was caught in Bihar while trying to sneak into Nepal, an immigration official said in Motihari, Bihar, on Thursday.

Daljit Singh Bal, who was a director of the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative when the Rs 4,355-crore scam was unearthed, was held along with his wife and son, said Ajay Kumar Pankaj, assistant foreign regional registration officer, posted at Raxaul near Motihari.

The trio was travelling by a luxury car on Wednesday night and in possession of tickets for a Canada-bound flight, to be boarded from Kathmandu.

Visas for Canada have also been seized from them, said the immigration department official.

Immigration authorities have handed over the fugitives to Raxaul police and their counterparts in Mumbai have been informed.

"We have learnt that a Mumbai police team will be arriving to take Bal into its custody for further action," said Pankaj.

Bal was named in a case registered by the Economic Offence Wing of the Mumbai police in 2019.

He remained on the run and his petition seeking anticipatory bail was turned down by the Supreme Court in 2020.

The scam led to a major financial crisis for the cooperative bank, which was merged with Unity Small Finance Bank vide a Reserve Bank of India notification issued last week.