Bhatpara bank scam: Cops uncover 24 loan accounts
The accounts have been traced during scrutiny of the seized documents from the bank
Kolkata: In connection with the scam at Bhatpara Naihati Cooperative Bank, police have found 24 loan accounts through which Rs 25 crore had been disbursed.
According to sources, during scrutiny of the seized documents from the bank, these accounts have been traced and police are now trying to know where the money had gone.
Sources informed that some amount of the money was transferred to a few bank accounts but the rest of the amount could not be traced till Sunday.
It may be mentioned that during the tenure of BJP MP Arjun Singh as Chairman of Bhatpara Municipality, the work orders were issued. It has been alleged that he had instructed the municipality officials to issue those orders.
As per the norms after placing those work orders before the bank, they need to be verified from the issuing authority before disbursing the loan. However, in this case, the verification process was not done.
It has been alleged that Singh, who is the chairman of the bank since then, skipped the process by exercising his influence.
Meanwhile, scrutiny of the work order copies in the municipality has revealed that only 4-5 work orders were issued by following proper system, while around 30 work orders were not processed accordingly.
Arun Banerjee, chairman of Bhatpara Municipality, said: "As per the procedure, the work orders need to be docketed after passing in the Chairman in Council (CiC) meeting. But in this case the norms were
not followed and work orders were not officially recorded. Only copies of those orders have been kept in the municipality."
However, bank sources claimed that the amount of the money for which the investigation is on is around Rs 12 crore. Meanwhile, several customers of the bank have already contacted the authorities to find out whether their deposited money is safe or not. Some of them have already withdrawn their deposits in panic.
The complainant, identified as Somnath Shyam, alleged that being a member of the Bhatpara Naihati Cooperative Bank, when he applied for a loan, it was rejected citing the ground of financial crisis.
As per the FIR, following the rejection he tried to find out the cause and came to know about the scam. The whole thing reportedly happened during the tenure of Singh, who was holding the post of chairman in Bhatpara Municipality back then.
It may be mentioned that a writ petition has been filed by Singh in connection with the case on Friday, which is scheduled to be listed for hearing on Monday.
