CBI searches 17 Mumbai locations in Anil Ambani Reliance Group fraud cases
Synopsis
The CBI has now searched 31 locations in total in its probe into the Anil Ambani-led Reliance ADA Group, with Saturday's operation at 17 Mumbai premises uncovering multiple intermediary companies operating from a single address — a red flag pointing to a coordinated fund-diversion network. The Supreme Court is personally monitoring the investigation into alleged losses of ₹27,337 crore.
Key Takeaways
The CBI searched 17 premises in Mumbai on 9 May in cases against Anil Ambani -led Reliance ADA Group .
Searches covered residential premises of directors and offices of intermediary companies allegedly used to divert bank funds.
The agency has registered seven cases against the Reliance Group; total alleged loss is ₹27,337 crore .
Vishwanath and Anil Kalya of RCom were arrested on 20 April and are in judicial custody.
The Supreme Court is monitoring the investigation into all related cases.
Multiple intermediary companies were found operating from the same address , the CBI revealed.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday, 9 May conducted searches at 17 premises in Mumbai in connection with cases registered against Anil Ambani-led Reliance ADA Group companies — Reliance Telecom Ltd, Reliance Commercial Finance Ltd, and Reliance Home Finance Ltd — and their directors. The searches have resulted in the seizure of incriminating documents, the agency confirmed.
What the Searches Covered
According to the CBI, the searches were carried out at the residential premises of Directors of the three companies, as well as at office premises of intermediary companies whose accounts were allegedly used for diversion of bank funds. The searches were conducted on the strength of Search Warrants dated 8 May, issued by the Special Judge for CBI cases, Mumbai.
Notably, the searches revealed that multiple intermediary companies were operating from the same address — a finding that investigators say points to a coordinated structure for routing funds. The CBI stated that the investigation is continuing.
Scale of the Alleged Fraud
The current round of searches is part of a broader probe that has been building for months. The CBI has registered seven cases against the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group, based on complaints lodged by various Public Sector Banks and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) in connection with alleged frauds. The total quantum of alleged loss across these cases stands at ₹27,337 crore.
Prior to Saturday's operation, the CBI had already conducted searches at 14 locations in the months immediately following the registration of these cases, bringing the cumulative total of locations searched to 31.
Two Senior Executives Already Arrested
Two senior executives of Reliance Communications (RCom) were arrested on 20 April in connection with the probe. D. Vishwanath, Joint President of Reliance Communications and overall in-charge of the Group's banking operations, and Anil Kalya, Vice President, who actively supported Vishwanath in managing banking operations and the utilisation of funds, are both currently in judicial custody.
Supreme Court Monitoring the Case
The CBI confirmed that the investigation into all cases relating to the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group is being monitored by the Supreme Court — a rare degree of judicial oversight that underscores the gravity and complexity of the alleged fraud. This comes amid growing scrutiny of large corporate borrowers who defaulted on Public Sector Bank loans in the years following aggressive credit expansion. The agency has indicated that further action is likely as the investigation progresses.
Point of View
A hallmark of sophisticated financial fraud. The Supreme Court's direct monitoring of the case is unusual and reflects institutional distrust of the pace of large-loan fraud investigations in India. With ₹27,337 crore in alleged losses spread across seven cases and complaints from both Public Sector Banks and LIC, this is one of the largest ongoing corporate fraud probes in the country. The arrests of mid-level banking operations executives, rather than top promoters, also follows a familiar pattern — the question of whether the probe reaches the apex of corporate decision-making remains the one that matters most.
NationPress
10 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CBI's case against Anil Ambani's Reliance ADA Group?
The CBI has registered seven cases against Reliance ADA Group companies — including Reliance Telecom, Reliance Commercial Finance, and Reliance Home Finance — based on complaints by Public Sector Banks and LIC alleging large-scale bank fraud. The total alleged loss across these cases is ₹27,337 crore.
What did the CBI find during the 17 Mumbai searches on 9 May?
The searches led to the seizure of incriminating documents. The CBI also found that multiple intermediary companies, whose accounts were allegedly used to divert bank funds, were operating from the same address — a significant finding in the investigation.
Who has been arrested in the Reliance ADA Group fraud case?
Two senior RCom executives — D. Vishwanath, Joint President and overall in-charge of banking operations, and Anil Kalya, Vice President — were arrested on 20 April. Both are currently in judicial custody.
Is the Supreme Court involved in the Reliance ADA Group investigation?
Yes. The CBI has confirmed that the Supreme Court is monitoring the investigation into all cases related to the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group, reflecting the scale and seriousness of the alleged fraud.
How many locations has the CBI searched in total in this case?
The CBI has now searched a cumulative total of 31 locations — 14 in the months immediately after the cases were registered, and 17 more on 9 May 2025 in Mumbai.
