Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 24 May 2025
Mr. Kuldeep Rai Sharma, former Member of Parliament from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Congress MP) and Vice Chairman of the Andaman and Nicobar State Cooperative Bank (ANSCB) Ltd., has been booked in reference to severe irregularities within the sanctioning of enormous loans. The case additionally names the previous chairman, administrators/ financial institution officers, and beneficiaries.
Multiple nationwide media retailers reported the event on Friday, confirming {that a} First Information Report (FIR) has been filed within the case, sparking a wide-ranging investigation.
Nicobar Times was among the many first to report that police had been conducting raids at ANSCB premises and properties linked to native businessmen over the previous week. We additionally independently verified that an FIR had been registered in connection the cooperative financial institution.
On 22 May 2025, Nicobar Times approached the Superintendent of Police (CID) to acquire readability on the character and scope of the investigation. While the SP Headquarters, who’s at the moment holding further cost of SP CID, confirmed that an FIR had certainly been lodged, he declined to expose additional particulars. He directed his Reader to facilitate entry to the FIR doc.
Despite these directions, makes an attempt to acquire the FIR have been unsuccessful. The Reader of SP CID declined to launch the doc, citing its classification as a “sensitive” case by the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Crime and Economic Offences Police Station. Further makes an attempt to contact the SHO for clarification have been unsuccessful as telephone name went unanswered.
According to a number of nationwide media experiences, Senior Superintendent of Police (CID), Jitendra Kumar Meena, confirmed to the Press Trust of India (PTI):
“We have received a complaint from the Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies (HQ) regarding gross irregularities in sanctioning loans to various people by the Andaman and Nicobar State Cooperative Bank. Based on the content of the complaint, we have lodged an FIR (dated May 15). Further investigation is in progress.”
As of now, no official assertion has been made public by the ANSCB or the implicated people. The Andaman and Nicobar Police’s official internet portal, which generally hosts FIRs, has been non-functional since a few week.
The case is anticipated to have important political and monetary implications throughout the islands as investigators proceed to probe the total extent of the alleged misappropriations.
