Kotkapura (Faridkot), October 14
In an unusual criminal case wherein the complainant himself was found to be one of the main culprits in misappropriation of Rs 2.85 crore in a nationalised bank, the CBI has started the investigation after the police failed in arresting all the accused in the last two years.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court handed over the investigation to the CBI after one of the accused Jagmohan Singh Kochhar approached the HC for anticipatory bail in the embezzlement case.
The case was registered by the Kotkapura police after Kochhar made a complaint on May 5, 2009. In his complaint, Kochhar, a senior manager in the Punjab and Sind Bank, Kotkapura, accused Surjit Singh, a Rural Development Officer (RDO) in the bank, of embezzling Rs 10.47 lakh. However, a detailed inquiry by the senior bank authorities found that besides Surjit Singh, eight other employees, including Kochhar, were involved in the scam and the total amount misappropriated was Rs 2.85 crore.
The police investigation in the case was moving at snail’s pace and there was an inordinate delay in filing a charge sheet against the accused.
Due to this, the main accused Surjit Singh succeeded in securing bail and he and two other accused, both assistant managers, managed to flee.
The court had declared the trio as proclaimed offenders.
One of the accused died during the investigation while six others were cooling their heels in jail for the past over an year.
Kotkapura SHO Dalbir Singh said as per the directions of the High Court on September 28, the investigation in the case had been handed over to the CBI.
While seeking anticipatory bail, Kochhar had claimed that he was being made a scapegoat in the case to create passage for other accused to flee.
But opposing the bail to Kochhar, the counsel for the Punjab and Sind Bank demanded that the case be handed over to the CBI. “As per the bank rules, if the misappropriated amount is more than Rs 1 crore and the bank staff itself is involved in the crime, the FIR needs to be lodged with the CBI at the first stage,” said the petitioner for the bank.
Without any check, the money was being siphoned off for over two years. One of the main culprits in the scandal had reportedly purchased three houses in different towns of Punjab and in each house, one of his paramour was living with all modern gadgets and comforts, revealed the police investigation.
