Baripada: The Chief Judicial Magistrate court Baripada handed 14-year imprisonment sentences to five persons here Thursday after they were convicted in a Rs 1.31 crore bank fraud case. The fraud happened at the Bank of India (BOI) branch at Jharpokharia, Among those convicted was the ex-manager of the bank, Girija Shankar Mishra. Others who were sentenced were field officer Satyarupa Mohanty, suppliers Bangali Jena, Sushant Jena and agent Satyananda Patra. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 27 lakh each on the five accused.
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Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Mayurbhanj, Bikash Chandra Dey announced the verdict after recording statements of 31 witnesses and going by the evidences and chargesheet submitted by economic offence wing (EOW) of Crime Branch.
Acting on a complaint lodged by branch manager Sitakant Mohanty, the EOW had registered a case in November 2014. During the course of investigation, it was ascertained that Mishra had hatched a conspiracy along with the other accused and approved 131 loans of Rs 1,00,000 lakh each in names of farmers who never existed. The scam took place during the 2012-13 fiscal.
Former manager Mishra and field officer Mohanty were dismissed from their services after their names surfaced in the scam.
PNN