Nuapada: A youth has allegedly misappropriated funds worth Rs 2 crore on the pretext of providing banking services to people in a tribal dominated pocket of Nuapada district.
The alleged scam took place at Kurumpur in this district.
According to reports, a customer service centre was set up here two years ago to provide banking services to the local people under the charge of a youth named Dasarathi Sunani.
In the last two years, thousands of tribal people living in Palasipanim, Daldali, Limdiahi, Thakurpali, Karangabhata, Kasipalla, Ghatipada, Sinapali, Kurumpur, Kusadhana, Diamaunda, Choukapada, Khajurbahal, Mundapalla and Latkanpada had deposited money at the customer service and had transactions there.
Locals alleged that deposits worth over Rs 2 crore have been misappropriated from their accounts. Initially, 16 depositors filed a complaint with the Lakhana police station.
According to the complaint a sum of Rs 26,000 had vanished from the account of Lalu Sabar; Rs 91,400 from account of Birasingh Sabar; Rs 13,000 from the account of Balmati Sabar, Rs 90,000 from the account of Sadani Sabar, Rs 20,000 from the account of Belamati Sabar and Rs 60,000 from the account of Sayamani Majhi.
Several others have also lost their money. Guna Majhi has lost Rs 41,000; Raymati Rs 10,000; Khusulala Kharsel Rs 10,000; Rukamani Nag Rs 20,000; Binodlala Nag Rs 10,000; Madhu Sabar Rs 5,000 and Gandaram Majahi lost Rs 55,000.
While the manager of the service centre has been absconding, police have started an investigation into the issue, said Lakhana IIC Tapan Kumar Das.
Besides, members of several SHGs and farmers had also deposited their money at the service centre.
As the locals placed their faith on the manager, they used to leave their passbooks, Aadhaar numbers and PAN cards at the service centre.
Locals suspect the volume of the scam could be even bigger than it is alleged. They demanded that the scam should be looked into thoroughly.
PNN