Vigilance Bureau arrest absconding accused for committing fraud with bank by taking loan Rs 25 lakh

Chandigarh September 26 : The Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Monday has arrested an absconding accused Satish Jha, resident of village Chak Hakeem, Phagwara on charges of defrauding the Punjab Gramin Bank, Phagwara, by taking a loan of Rs. 25 lakh on the basis of forged documents.

Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the Vigilance Bureau (VB) said in this regard a case on the basis of a Vigilance Enquiry, had already been registered under FIR No. 11, dated 31-08-2020 under sections 409, 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B of IPC. and under section 13 (1) (a) (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act at VB police station Jalandhar. He informed that the above said accused had got sanctioned this huge loan in connivance with bank manager Harbhajan Singh Kapoor and bank panel valuer Satish Kumar Sharma.

He further informed that there are total 16 accused in the above said case, out of which six accused – Raj Kumar resident of Thatthiala Mohalla, Phagwara, Valuer Satish Kumar Sharma, Subhash Kumar resident of Mahindwani, District Hoshiarpur, Avtar Singh resident of Asha Park Colony, Phagwara, Pankaj resident of Mohalla Ratanpura , Phagwara and Rajesh Kumar resident of Mohalla Ratanpura, Phagwara had already been arrested. The Vigilance Bureau is on the lookout for the arrest of the remaining accused, who will be arrested soon, he said.

Giving more details of this case, he said during the investigation by Vigilance, it was found that a residential colony named Bhai Ghanaiya Enclave had been built in the total area of 35 kanal 03 marlas of village Chak Hakeem in Phagwara. Sukhwinder Kaur Atwal and Maninder Kaur Atwal, who have equal ownership of 8 kanal 15 marla of the area of the said Khasra numbers of this colony, had given two separate power of attorneys to Gurcharan Singh Atwal, resident of village Anokhwaal, for the maintenance and sale of their land. He had further appointed Raj Kumar, resident of Thatthiara Mohalla, Phagwara as power of attorney.

The spokesperson informed that according to Raj Kumar, during the year 2009-10, he was working privately with the said Avtar Singh Phagwara, then this document was registered in his name with the help of his owner, Avtar Singh. The later was also an acquaintance of Gurcharan Singh Atwal.

In the Bhai Ghanaiya Enclave Colony about 101 marla area of land was sold as separate plots but about 74 marla area was remaining as balance for roads and streets. This area of land was still in the revenue records listed in the name of above said Raj Kumar (Mukhtiare Khas) and its owner, Avtar Singh Phagwara. The duo with the intention of committing fraud, sold this area (74 marlas) as small plots in the said Colony with on the basis of Fard Jamabandi received from revenue officials. They had wrote the sale contracts in the names of Avtar Singh, Pradeep Kumar, Pankaj Kumar and others who later gave the written contracts in their favor to the manager Harbhajan Singh Kapur at the said Punjab Grameen Bank and to the valuer Satish Kumar Sharma.

All these accused persons in connivance with bank manager and valuer, managed to got sanctioned loans amounting to lakhs of rupees on the basis of such Fards from the said bank in the name of construction of new houses whereas no house could be constructed on the said land. All the accused without constructing any houses, got pictured clicked by standing in front of the houses of the people living in other colonies coming up in village Chak Hakeem. By doing this, they had falsely mortgaged houses belonging to other peoples, he said.

During the investigation it has came to light that in all this fraud, bank manager Harbhajan Singh Kapoor and valuer Satish Kumar Sharma misused their official positions and provided full support to the loan borrowers. Both of them colluded with the loanees and caused huge financial loss to the bank and government amounting to Rs.3,40,71,000.

The spokesperson further added that in the same way, the above said accused Satish Jha had also bought a plot of 5 and a half marlas on 30-06-2015 and after mutation he procured loan to the tune of Rs 25 lakh from the said Punjab Gramin Bank with the connivance of manager Harbhajan Singh Kapoor and valuer Satish Kumar Sharma for the construction of new house, while in fact he has not constructed any house on the said land.