The Hindustan Times, May 19, 1999
Amazing tale of Faridabad's fake World Bank official
Faridabad, May 18 (HT Correspondent)
Sunil Behl, the high-flying swindler, who hoodwinked business houses in India and abroad of crores of rupees by impersonating as the senior Vice-President of the World Bank, had high connections.
Sources reveal that taken in by his glib talk, State and Central ministers, top-ranking officials, judges, foreign diplomats, regularly visited his Faridabad residence to enjoy his hospitality: sumptuous food and choicest foreign whiskies. He had been masquerading in Faridabad, Delhi and elsewhere in India, flaunting UN-1 car number plates, unhindered by law enforcing agencies, which never bothered to check on his antecedents and the veracity of his claim of being a senior World Bank official.
According to informed sources, two former judges, a former Union Finance Minister of State, Secretaries of Government of India, senior officials of the Prime Minister's office, officials of the Union Ministry of External Affairs and top-ranking police and service officers of Haryana and diplomats were frequently entertained by Sunil Behl at his Faridabad Sector 16-A (Number 570) house. Owing to his connections with the high and mighty, the Faridabad administration never suspected his credentials and remained complacent. So much so that the wife of Sunil Behl, Mrs Savita Behl, donated Rs 5 lakh to the District Red Cross Society for an ambulance. The unsuspecting administration honoured her on the Republic Day.
It was in January this year that the administration smelt a rat when Sunil Behl promised a World Bank grant to Deputy Commissioner, Faridabad, B. K. Panigrahi. But later when the loan was not forthcoming the Deputy Commissioner decided to check his antecedents.
Meanwhile, the owner of the Sun City Residential Project, made a formal complaint against Sunil Behl, to the SSP and DC Faridabad alleging that the latter had hoodwinked him of Rs 18 lakh on the promise of Rs 5 crore World Bank loan. He even got a project report readied on the letter pad of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in collusion with two Korean diplomats, a consultant and a vice-president of the ADB.
Following this complaint, the Deputy Commissioner intensified his investigation, contacted CBI, Income Tax, Customs and World Bank. The World Bank wrote back to Mr Panigrahi that Mr Behl does not work with them. The World Bank requested an investigation and appropriate action. Later the investing agencies, including Income Tax, Customs, CBI and police officials, in a well-planned operation, raided his residential and office premises in Faridabad on May 15, and seized gold jewellry and precious stones valued at Rs 40 lakh, fixed deposit receipts for Rs 1.2 crore, and Rs 6.5 lakh in cash.
Documents seized show that Sunil Behl lived in style in his house in Sector 16-A, Faridabad, besides owing two more houses in this town and a farm house in Gurgaon. The search revealed that he had spent Rs 70 lakh on the wooden panelling of his house, decorated with precious antiques and show pieces, crystal and cut glass wares, foreign crockery, worth Rs 1 crore. Also found were Persian carpets worth Rs 12 lakh, 17 Air Conditioners 75 bottles of scotch whisky priced at Rs 20 lakh, 3 Mercedes cars. Sunil Behl and his wife, Savita Behl, booked under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 170 and 171 IPC on the charge of cheating and impersonation, has been remanded to police custody till May 21.
|
