Rs 85-lakh scam hits another co-op society in Bhogpur

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, October 8

While the Cooperative Department was yet to resolve the case of 70-lakh Loharan multipurpose cooperative society scam at Bhogpur, another society from Bhogpur, the Cooperative Agricultural Society Pachranga has been hit by a whopping Rs 85-lakh scam.

The secretary of the Cooperative Agricultural Society Pachranga, who is accused of committing the huge scam, had recently got posted at Loharan Multipurpose cooperative society.

One of the officials from the Cooperative Department said the accused secretary was posted at the Loharan society to look into the accounts and records properly which were embezzled by the former secretary, who is now lodged in the jail.

But after joining the post at the society in Loharan, the accused fled after which the scam came to the fore in the Pachranga society where he was originally posted. The officials said the accused issued the statements of the FDs without depositing the money in the accounts.

Sources from the department said the scam amounts to Rs 85 lakh, the Deputy Registrar (DR) Sukha Singh said the scam was huge, but the exact amount would be known after proper checking and the audit. “We will call for FIR after investigating the matter properly,” the DR said. 

“I do not understand why these societies are opened. The department has not even conducted a proper audit in the Loharan society case. Now this scam has come up and the residents of Pachranga are suffering too,” said one of the residents of Loharan village who is also the victim of the scam.

Loharan society scam

The victims said they had deposited different amounts on separate occasions with the society in the savings bank, loans and FDR accounts. They also said the FDRs and other receipts were issued, but when some of them contacted the society, they found that the receipts were fictitious and amounts were never deposited in their bank accounts and the cooperative bank under which the society worked.

“An inquiry is being conducted and it has been found that the accused had not maintained the records properly. A misappropriation of Rs 67 lakh has been suspected, but it will be confirmed after the audit team completes the checking,” said one of the investigating officers.