DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
JAMMU, Dec 9
The Economic Offences Wing of Jammu Crime Branch Jammu on Saturday produced preliminary charge-sheet against four accused persons for their involvement in hatching criminal conspiracy and swindling Rs. 5 Crore from different Branches of J&K Bank across the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
A Crime Branch spokesman said that the chargesheet was produced against prime accused namely Saleem Yousaf Bhatti of Narol, Mendhar, Poonch in the Court of law for their involvement in hatching criminal conspiracy and swindling Rs. 5 Crores from different Branches of J&K Bank across the UT of J&K, particularly from District Poonch, as loans of different nature, on the pretext of Government Scheme under integrated water Management Programme meant for District Poonch.
The prime accused and mastermind who was previously working as a contractual based employee in the IWMP – a Central Govt. Sponsored Scheme executed his nefarious designs by misusing his position and misrepresentation of facts.
The other co-accused arrested in the case are Mohd Altaf, Ruksana Tabassum and Zahida Parveen, all residents of Ari, Mendhar Poonch.
The investigation in the case began following a complaint lodged by Chief Manager S&C Division, Zonal Office J&K Bank Ltd. Jammu, alleging that Saleem Yousaf Bhatti who was a contractual employee with Integrated Watershed Management Programme Department at Poonch and others had illegally activated the in-active accounts of Watershed Committee at J&K Bank Branch Lassana, Surankote Poonch.
Subsequently, the accused persons changed nomenclature of the accounts, fabricated fake salary certificates and confirmation letters to different non-existing employees and managed personal loans, cash credit loans and car loans etc in crores by presenting themselves as Government Employees.
The accused persons have also managed to open fraudulent Government accounts J&K Bank Branch Office Mendhar and Branch office Bus stand Mendhar.
The spokesman said that the accused have firstly deposited money through different Banks/Branches in the accounts of watershed committee and the fake accounts opened by them, issued fake authority letters instructing the Branches to disburse & credit the salaries in individual accounts which were later on projected as Government Employees and thus they managed to obtain loan from different other Branches of the Bank thereby causing wrongful loss to the tune of Rs. approximately 5 Crores.
On receipt of the complaint a preliminary verification was initiated and during the probe the allegations were prima facie substantiated, leading to the registration of formal case for in-depth investigation.
During the course of investigation, relevant record was seized, statements of witnesses recorded, Scientific, circumstantial and other material evidence was collected and offences were established against them.
“All these loans are now Non Performing Assets (NPA) of the J&K Bank. Investigation of the case is in progress to identify and arrest other accused involved in the crime and other nexus in the case,” he added.
