Court Rejects Pre-Arrest Bail of Vimalkumar J Shrivastav in Rs. 16.38 Crore AMC–UCO Bank Scam, AMC Officials Under Scrutiny
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, October 29, 2025
In a significant development in the Rs. 16.38 crore Agartala Municipal Council (AMC)–UCO Bank scam, the learned court has rejected the pre-arrest (anticipatory) bail plea of Vimalkumar Jwalaprasad Shrivastav, proprietor of AV Associates, who is one of the key accused in the high-profile case. The court, after a detailed hearing, ruled that the gravity of the economic offence and the need for custodial interrogation outweighed the grounds for bail.
The case, registered as West Agartala Police Station Case No. 2025/WAG/101 dated 04.09.2025, involves multiple charges under sections 61(2), 318(2), 319, 316(5), 336(3), 340(2), 341, and 338 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The court observed that economic offences of this magnitude affect the very fabric of society and must be dealt with utmost seriousness.
The Scam Unfolded
According to the FIR filed by Sanjeev Roy, Zonal Head, UCO Bank, Agartala, on 04 September 2025, a total of Rs. 16.38 crore was allegedly siphoned off from the AMC’s Executive Engineer (Division-II) account maintained at UCO Bank, Agartala. The fraudulent transfers were executed between August 5 and September 2, 2025, using six forged cheques to route large sums to six different firms,
‘Ganesh Enterprise,’ ‘Shri Sai Balaji Associates Pvt. Ltd., ‘Paliwal Enterprises,’ ‘RU Enterprises,’ ‘AV Associates,’ and ‘Biswas Enterprise.’
During verification, AMC authorities confirmed that the cheques in question were unused and still in their custody, indicating that fake or cloned cheques had been presented for RTGS transactions. CCTV footage from the dates of the fraudulent transactions revealed that an unidentified individual posing as an AMC official had presented the cheques at the bank.
Defense Argument and Court’s Observations
Appearing for the accused, Advocates Kishore Lambat and Suja Joshi argued that Vimalkumar Shrivastav was falsely implicated. They claimed that his firm’s account was credited with Rs. 4.57 crore, believed to be a loan amount approved by ‘Sukanya Jeevan Nidhi Ltd.’ and that the accused had no knowledge of its fraudulent origin. The defense stated that Shrivastav immediately informed the Cyber Crime Police and cooperated with the investigation.
However, Addl. Public Prosecutor K. D. Jamatia, representing the State, strongly opposed the bail plea, asserting that Shrivastav’s custodial interrogation was crucial to uncovering the full conspiracy. The IO’s case diary and bail objection noted that ‘Sukanya Jeevan Nidhi Ltd.’ had a paid-up capital of only Rs. 5 lakh, making it highly improbable for the company to have sanctioned a loan of Rs. 3.5 crore, as claimed by the accused.
The court, after reviewing the case diary and legal precedents cited by both sides, including P. Chidambaram v. Directorate of Enforcement and Serious Fraud Investigation Offences v. Adithya Sarda, observed that anticipatory bail is not a rule but an exceptional remedy, especially in economic offences involving large-scale public fund embezzlement.
Judicial Findings
The learned court concluded that: “Having regard to the nature and gravity of the offence, and considering that the case diary discloses incriminating materials against the accused-petitioner, and noting that custodial interrogation is essential to ascertain material facts, the anticipatory bail application stands rejected.”
The court ordered the return of the case diary to the Investigating Officer (IO) in a sealed envelope, along with a copy of the order, and directed necessary entries to be made in the Trial Register (TR) and Case Information System (CIS).
The Bigger Picture
The Rs. 16.38 crore UCO Bank–AMC scam has rocked Agartala’s civic administration, with multiple AMC employees under the scanner for alleged collusion. Sources close to the investigation indicate that the Cyber Crime and Economic Offences Wing of Tripura Police is actively tracing the money trail and identifying those involved in the premeditated conspiracy.
As the investigation continues, the court’s rejection of Shrivastav’s bail plea marks a turning point, signaling a tougher judicial stance against economic crimes and public fund misappropriation in Tripura.
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