₹72.36L DA case: CBI books former SBI staffer, wife

Chennai: The CBI registered a disproportionate assets (DA) case against a former State Bank of India (SBI) cash officer in Tirupur and his wife, stating that they amassed wealth worth ₹72.36 lakh beyond their known sources of income during a five-year period.According to an FIR registered by the CBI’s anti-corruption branch (ACB) in Chennai, B Sekhar, who served as cash-in-charge at SBI’s Kethanur branch in Tirupur, and his wife Vasantha Vimala were found to possess assets disproportionate to their lawful income between 2017 and 2022.The agency said Sekhar, a public servant, illicitly acquired assets in his own name and in the names of his family members. The disproportionate assets were worth ₹72.36 lakh, which is 84.54% of his known sources of income during the check period.CBI records show that the family’s assets increased from ₹18.91 lakh at the beginning of the check period to ₹1.43 crore by March 2022. Assets worth ₹1.24 crore were allegedly acquired, while expenditure stood at ₹34.09 lakh against an income of ₹85.58 lakh.The DA case stems from an earlier CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in agricultural gold loans at SBI’s Kethanur branch. In that case, registered in Jan 2025, Sekhar and others were accused of pledging spurious jewels to obtain agricultural gold loans and misappropriating bank funds, causing substantial losses to the bank.

During the course of that investigation, the agency examined financial records and property documents relating to Sekhar and his family members, which revealed the accumulation of wealth disproportionate to known and lawful sources of income.