New Delhi, June 22 (IANS) Nearly two decades after they allegedly fled to evade arrest, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended two proclaimed offenders wanted in a major bank fraud case involving the misappropriation of more than Rs 1.25 crore from the State Bank of India (SBI)'s main branch in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, the agency said on Monday. The accused, identified as Brijbhushan Prasad and Kartar Singh, were arrested on June 21 in a coordinated operation conducted across Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, bringing a long-pending investigation closer to closure.According to the CBI, the case was registered on August 31, 2005, following allegations of fraudulent misappropriation of Rs 1.25 crore from SBI's Dhanbad branch during the period between November 2002 and June 2005.Investigators alleged that the accused siphoned off funds from the bank before disappearing during the course of the probe.

The agency said both men fled to Nepal after the investigation began and remained on the run for several years.A court subsequently declared them Proclaimed Offenders, while Red Corner Notices were issued against them. The CBI had also announced a reward of Rs 25,000 each for information leading to their arrest.Officials said the breakthrough came after sustained surveillance, technical intelligence gathering and extensive follow-up by CBI teams.Investigators eventually traced the accused, who had allegedly been living under assumed identities for nearly two decades to avoid detection.In a simultaneous operation conducted on June 21, Brijbhushan Prasad was arrested from Kopargaon in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, while Kartar Singh was apprehended from Raipur in Chhattisgarh.

A senior official said the operation reflected the agency's commitment to pursuing economic offenders irrespective of how much time had passed since the commission of the crime.Both accused are being produced before the competent court for further legal proceedings.The arrests are among the latest developments in a series of CBI investigations into financial fraud and corruption cases in Jharkhand. In recent years, the agency has probed several high-profile cases in the state, including alleged irregularities in public sector institutions, fraudulent withdrawals of government funds and bank-related scams involving forged documents and financial misappropriation.

/IANS