The CBI had raided several premises earlier this month including one of a priest attached to the SVD (Societe Verbi Divini) order of Christianity. The priest, Anthony P Furtado, is related to Walter Furtado, and is also named an accused in the case. He is allegedly a recipient of the fraud amount and has also bought property out of the same.

The fraud was detected after the CBI's anti-corruption branch filed a case against Iona, an upper division clerk of the Customs at the Air Cargo Complex, Sahar for possessing assets disproportionate to her known sources of income.

It was revealed that Iona had misused her position in the refunds section of the ACC to prepare cheques in favour of her husband and others on the basis of fake documents to support the refundclaims. One assistant chief accounts officer, S N Havnur, is also named an accused in the case, besides those who received cheques, all totally 85, in their favour. Some of the accused are drivers of vehicles owned by Iona. Investigations into possible involvement of senior customs officers will ``routinely'' be done, CBI sources said.

The CBI has now identified properties in Mumbai and Karnataka which were allegedly bought out of fraud money. These include four flats in Gokul Regency and Gokul Nagari, Thakur Complex, Goregaon, totally valued at around Rs 60 lakh. Two shops were also purchased in the same complex, albeit in benami names.

Properties in Mysore and Udipi include plots and one bungalow under construction. One Commander jeep, one Ambassador delux car and one scooter have also been seized.

Independent sources inform that the car belongs to Fr Anthony Furtado, and he took it on a loan from a finance company. The monthly instalment paid was Rs 13,500. In fact, the jeep was also purchasedinitially in the priest's name and then transferred to Walter Furtado without consideration. The amount paid for this vehicle, Rs 3.95 lakhs, was paid in cash.

In fact, the role of the priest is quite shocking since he was not supposed to have any personal assets. Reliable sources inform that four of the customs cheques fraudulently issued were in Fr Anthony Furtado's name and he had three bank accounts --two in Mysore and one in Bank of Baroda, Andheri East. Anthony Furtado was attached to the Sacred Heart Church in Andheri East and is on his way out of the SVD order for alleged misdemeanours during his last tenure. In fact, he resisted transfer out of the parish in June 1996.

When the CBI first raided Iona's house in the DA case against her, the priest claimed ownership of some of her movable property.

Iona Furtado herself allegedly lived a conspicuous lifestyle, with her total monthly expenses on drivers alone clocking Rs 40,000. She was also hobnobbing with a local gangster, Raghu Shetty, sourcestold ENS.