Tripura Gramin Bank: Rs 2.53 crore siphoned off through loan fraud

Agartala: Around Rs 2.53 crore was allegedly siphoned off from Tripura Gramin Bank (TGB) through fraudulent loan sanctions, the bank said, after which it lodged a police complaint nearly one-and-a-half years after the irregularities surfaced in an internal audit.

TGB’s regional manager lodged an FIR at NCC Police Station alleging large-scale fraud at the bank’s Abhoynagar main branch, officials said.

Police said loans totalling Rs 2,68,90,000 were sanctioned between December 20, 2023, and April 15 last year, of which Rs 2,53,50,000 was disbursed on the basis of forged PAN cards and fabricated salary slips.

An internal audit conducted last year uncovered fake pay slips and found that the salaries of at least 19 purported borrowers had been artificially inflated to obtain loans ostensibly for house construction and other purposes, officials said.

Bank sources said a woman officer of manager rank posted at the Abhoynagar branch has been dismissed in connection with the case.

However, no bank employee has been named as an accused in the FIR, which lists 19 private individuals from different parts of the state.

Sources alleged that after the audit revealed the irregularities, initial efforts focused on recovering the money and protecting certain staff, delaying criminal action for about 18 months. Police said the omission of bank employees’ names from the FIR is under scrutiny.

Those named in the FIR are residents of AD Nagar, Srinagar, Jogendranagar, Rangutia, Takarjala, Dhaleswar, Collegetilla, Indranagar, Sonamura, the BBM College area, Kalibazar, and Ramnagar, officials said.

NCC Police have issued notices to the accused and questioned them, and investigators said several “significant and sensitive” leads have emerged. Based on the probe so far, a drive to effect arrests may be launched soon, a police officer said.