Close encounter with the CBI

During my service of four decades in a public sector bank, I noticed my colleagues’ dread whenever they were deputed to an office of the CBI. Stories of the premier investigating agency belittling bank officials did the rounds.

I got the chance to work with CBI officials late in my career. A semi-urban posting took me to Hosapete in Karnataka, which emerged as the hotspot of one of the country’s biggest mining scams. The CBI arrested several leading politicians and mining barons and made them cool their heels in jail.

The iron ore-rich district had created many a rags-to-riches story. A nexus existed betweenthe mining lords and the government. My transfer coincided with this challenging phase.

Law enforcers made bank officials produce documents and records at short notice. We maintained a close liaison with the CBI via a forex official. It was an ordeal to fish out records, type out certificates and letters and print kilos of accounts statements.

My predecessors had spoken of the treatment meted out by probe officials. So, I was hesitant when my turn came to visit the CBI office. A colleague who had made several trips to the economic offences wing of the agency gave me the creeps by remarking that facing the CBI was akin to batting against a fearsome pace bowler. I had to cart 7 kg of documents, but felt relieved when my wife and son volunteered to accompany me.

We boarded the Shatabdi Express from Bengaluru and went to the CBI office the following day. The sight of my family in tow made the officials cast quizzical glances at us. If only they knew we were first-time visitors, curious to glance inside a CBI office!

But thankfully, the inspector made us feel relaxed by offering snacks and beverages. The initial fear that enveloped me evaporated. An employee celebrating his birthday came around with some goodies. We wished him, but were keen to complete the formalities. When my turn came, I went in with trepidation. The official quizzed me for an hour, but I came away unscathed. He found the papers in order and gratefully acknowledged them. He even urged me to show my family around the city before departing. I heaved a sigh of relief when the exercise was done and dusted.

We took a brief tour of the city and returned just in time to catch the departing train to Bengaluru. Though short, my first visit to the CBI office showed that its officials were unlike what I had heard about them. I kept going to various offices of the agency and had become a familiar face. But I still had goosebumps whenever I was quizzed by CBI sleuths!