Rs.42 Lakh Fraud at Bhopal Co-Operative Bank: 3 Accused Booked for Embezzlement and Conspiracy
A case of fraud has come to light at a co-operative bank in Bhopal. The police have registered an FIR against three people for allegedly taking away ₹41.94 lakh that was collected from farmers as loan repayments. This information was shared by Etkhedi police on Friday.
According to a complaint filed by bank official Ramcharan Silawat, the bank gives agricultural loans to farmers through primary credit societies. These loans are used by farmers to buy items like seeds and fertilisers. Two people, Manoj Kumar and Naresh, were appointed by the bank as recovery agents. Their job was to collect loan repayments from farmers.
Police said that the accused broke bank rules while collecting money. As per bank guidelines, cash collection is not allowed on public holidays. However, Manoj and Naresh still went to several villages on a holiday and collected around ₹42 lakh from farmers.
The next day, when the bank conducted an audit, the collected money was found missing from the bank’s treasury. When questioned, Manoj and Naresh claimed that they had kept the money at a village co-operative society office and that it was stolen during the night.
However, when the bank checked the matter internally and police started their investigation, they found several problems in their story. Their statements did not match the facts.
Police believe that Manoj and Naresh, along with a security guard named Mukesh, had planned this together. They allegedly created a false story of theft to hide the embezzlement of money.
Etkhedi police station in-charge Ashish Sapre confirmed that a case has been registered against the three accused for embezzlement and criminal breach of trust. He said that early investigation suggests this was a planned conspiracy. Police teams have been sent to catch the accused and recover the missing money.
