Bureau of Investigation (Economic Offences) unearths scam; 2 bank officials arrested

KCC LOAN TO FARMERS

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Bureau of Investigation (Economic Offences) (BIEO) has unearthed a scam in connection with disbursing loans to poor farmers by the Nagaon branch of Central Bank of India under the Kishan Credit Card (KCC) Scheme.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday, BIEO SP Khanin Choudhury said the Nagaon branch of Central Bank had disbursed loans under the KCC scheme against 418 fake accounts opened in the name of poor farmers between 2007 and 2016. He said when the development came to light the BIEO registered a case (13/2018) under Sections 120 B/420/406/468/471/409 of IPC and started the investigation.

During the investigation, it has been found that one Deepa Rani Das, Agriculture Field Officer of Nagaon branch of Central Bank did not conduct any field verification against the holders of 418 accounts opened in her bank. She was supposed to verify whether the account holders (farmers) possessed lands and eligible for receiving loans under the KCC scheme. But Das submitted a fake report to the Central Bank authority in Nagaon to facilitate siphoning off bank money in the name of KCC loans. She was arrested by the BIEO on May 27, 2019. One Prafulla Kumar Das, who was the senior manager of the bank between 2009 and 2012, was arrested on June 26, 2019 for his involvement in the scam. Two other former senior managers of the Central Bank Ranjit Kumar Das and Dilip Phukan are currently being interrogated in connection with the scam.

Another person Soumitra Choudhury, who opened 150 fake accounts to draw KCC loans fraudulently from the Central Bank, has also been arrested.

Choudhury said nearly Rs 1.76 crore has been fraudulently withdrawn from the bank. Sources in the BIEO said the present case might be the tip of an iceberg of a massive scam.

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