TV
The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Sunday arrested two more persons involved in a bank fraud case amounting to nearly Rs 8 crore. The accused have been identified as Samaresh Ranjan Das and Hemanta Panda.
The EOW arrested both the accused based on the complaint filed by the Regional Manager of State Bank of India (SBI), Phulbani. The complaint was initially filed against Asutosh Acharya, the then Deputy Manager-cum-Field Officer of SBI, Phulbani Branch for illegally recommending and processing 59 Xpress Credit Loans meant for the salaried person and 26 pension loans meant for the pensioners in favour of the non-salaried persons and non-pensioners.
The entire money was misappropriated by transferring the same to the account of his family members, relatives and others, EOW said. During the period from September 2021 to September 2022, Asutosh Acharya in conspiracy with the arrested accused persons fraudulently recommended and processed the loans.
As per EOW, 59 Xpress credit loans of Rs 6,77,30,000 meant for the salaried persons and 26 pension loans amounting to Rs 99,82,795 meant for the pensioners were illegally processed and recommended by the accused in favour of the non-pensioners including his father, mother and father-in-law (dead).
"The sanctioned amounts were being landed in the account of the borrowers beyond their knowledge, and the amounts were further diverted to different accounts including the accounts of the accused Samaresh Ranjan Das and that of Smruti Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society Ltd., Naharakanta, Balianta, of which the arrested accused Hemanta Panda is the Secretary,” said EOW.
The EOW further informed that Rs 1.46 crore and Rs 47,43,104 have directly been credited to the accounts of Samaresh Ranjan Das and amount of more than Rs 3 crore of the fraud amount has been diverted to the account of Smruti Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society Ltd; and the amount has been misappropriated by the accused persons Samaresh Ranjan Das, it added.
Das is a Civil Supplies Inspector (under suspension) and Hemanta Panda is the Secretary of Smruti Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society.
