Bhubaneswar: Economic Offences Wing, Bhubaneswar has arrested two accused persons from Bhubaneswar in connection with an over Rs 8 crore bank fraud case, an EOW source said Sunday.
The EOW source added that Samaresh Ranjan Das and Hemanta Panda were arrested from Bhubaneswar Saturday under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. They will be produced before the Court of SDJM, Phulbani.
The case was registered on the allegation of SBI Regional Manager, Phulbani, against Asutosh Acharya, the then Deputy Manager-cum-Field Officer of SBI, Phulbani Branch, said the source.
It informed that the SBI Regional Manager alleged that Acharya had recommended and processed 59 Xpress Credit Loans meant for salaried persons and 26 pension loans meant for the pensioners in favour of the non-salaried and non-pensioners, and “misappropriated” the sanctioned loan amounting to Rs 8,01,87,000 by transferring it to the account of his family members, relatives and others.
During the period from September 2021 to September 2022, Acharya in conspiracy with the arrested accused persons and others fraudulently recommended and processed the loans, the source added.
The sanctioned amounts were being landed in accounts of the borrowers beyond their knowledge and being 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 Hemanta Panda is the Secretary, informed the source.
During the investigation, it was found that Rs 1.46 crores and Rs 47,43,104 have directly been credited to the accounts of Samaresh Ranjan Das and more than Rs 3 crores of the fraud amount has been diverted to the account of Smruti Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society Ltd, said the source.
The EOW alleged that amount has been “misappropriated” by a Civil Supply Inspector (under suspension) Samaresh Ranjan Das, the Secretary of Smruti Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society Ltd. Hemanta Panda, and the then Dy. Manager-cum-Field Officer, SBI, Phulbani Branch Asutosh Acharya.
UNI