Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 24 May 2025
Mr. Kuldeep Rai Sharma, former Member of Parliament from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Congress MP) and Vice Chairman of the Andaman and Nicobar State Cooperative Bank (ANSCB) Ltd., has been booked in connection with serious irregularities in the sanctioning of large loans. The case also names the former chairman, directors/ bank officials, and beneficiaries.
Multiple national media outlets reported the development on Friday, confirming that a First Information Report (FIR) has been filed in the case, sparking a wide-ranging investigation.
Nicobar Times was among the first to report that police had been conducting raids at ANSCB premises and properties linked to local businessmen over the past week. We also independently verified that an FIR had been registered in connection the cooperative bank.
On 22 May 2025, Nicobar Times approached the Superintendent of Police (CID) to obtain clarity on the nature and scope of the investigation. While the SP Headquarters, who is currently holding additional charge of SP CID, confirmed that an FIR had indeed been lodged, he declined to divulge further details. He directed his Reader to facilitate access to the FIR document.
Despite these instructions, attempts to obtain the FIR were unsuccessful. The Reader of SP CID declined to release the document, citing its classification as a “sensitive” case by the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Crime and Economic Offences Police Station. Further attempts to contact the SHO for clarification were unsuccessful as phone call went unanswered.
According to multiple national media reports, Senior Superintendent of Police (CID), Jitendra Kumar Meena, confirmed to the Press Trust of India (PTI):
“We have received a complaint from the Deputy Registrar of Cooperative Societies (HQ) regarding gross irregularities in sanctioning loans to various people by the Andaman and Nicobar State Cooperative Bank. Based on the content of the complaint, we have lodged an FIR (dated May 15). Further investigation is in progress.”
As of now, no official statement has been made public by the ANSCB or the implicated individuals. The Andaman and Nicobar Police’s official web portal, which typically hosts FIRs, has been non-functional since about a week.
The case is expected to have significant political and financial implications across the islands as investigators continue to probe the full extent of the alleged misappropriations.