Mumbai News: ₹58 Crore SIES Fraud Case Stalled As Missing FIR Delays Trial, Court Issues Fresh Notice To Investigating Officer

Mumbai, April 8: Even after repeated notices, the investigating officer of the alleged Rs 58-crore fraud case registered by South Indian Education Society (SIES) Trust in 2014 has failed to submit a report on the missing original FIR copy from the court record. The metropolitan magistrate court at Esplanade has again, on Tuesday, issued a fresh notice to the officer.

Missing FIR stalls trial

The original copy of the FIR was discovered to be missing from the court record in February last year during the recording of testimony of the first witness, Ganesh Shankaran, a trustee.

Thereafter, the court had sent several notices to the prosecution and the investigating officer, but still the report on missing documents has not been submitted to the court. Consequently, the trial is stuck as the court is unable to proceed with the recording of Shankaran's testimony without the copy of the original FIR.

Background of Rs 58-crore fraud case

In July 2014, the trust had noticed that funds to the tune of Rs 58 crore kept in fixed deposits were siphoned off and subsequently diverted to other accounts. This revelation led the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the crime branch to a group that had cheated several other trusts and institutions.

Trial delays over years

After eight years of lodging the case, the trial finally began on June 20, 2022, when the court examined its first witness, Shankaran. However, even on that day, recording of the testimony of Shankaran did not conclude. It remained pending for three years.

Finally, on February 14, 2025, when the prosecution resumed the examination of Shankaran, the court noticed that the original FIR was not on the record. Hence, the case was adjourned to March 13, 2025, with a direction to the prosecution to locate it. When the case came up for hearing on March 13, 2025, the public prosecutor was not available. Hence, the court issued a notice to the IO for the documents.

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Fresh notice issued

Since March 13, 2025, the magistrate court has issued several notices to the investigating officer to submit a report on the missing FIR, but that has not been done yet. Even on Tuesday, the court has issued a fresh notice to the investigating officer to submit the report, adjourning the matter to June 25.

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