Role of treasury, bank officials under scanner in pension fraud

Ravinder Saini

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Tribune News Service

Rohtak, June 12

The role of officials at Rohtak and Faridabad branches of Central Bank of India and employees of Treasury office in Rohtak and Faridabad have come under the scanner of Rohtak police into a pension fraud case in which a man of Faridabad withdrew arrears and pension of his dead father for around eight years (from 2011 to 2019) by using his bogus life certificate and duplicate signature.

The accused, identified as Naresh, withdrew unauthorised a total amount of Rs 92.61 lakh from his father’s bank account during the timespan. Rohtak branch of the bank credited the pension amount to the accused father’s account up to 2016 on the basis of life certificate given by its Faridabad branch. Thereafter, the case was transferred to Treasury Rohtak as a regular (alive pensioner) case.

Interestingly, Treasury Rohtak and Pension Disbursing Cell, Haryana, too paid him the pension up to September 2019, said an FIR lodged by Civil Line Police station in Rohtak last evening.

In the FIR, Rajveer Singh, Treasury Officer, Rohtak, said Naresh’s father died on December 1, 2011, and as per standing instructions, the bank should have stopped his pension from December 2, 2011, but it did not do so and continued to credit the pension to the deceased’s account up to September 30, 2019, on the basis of life certificates given by its Faridabad branch.

“The amount was withdrawn regularly through ATM/cheques while it was the responsibility of the cashier of the bank to match the signature and identification of the person withdrawing the money. After transfer of the case to Rohtak Treasury, three life certificates of the deceased were issued by the Treasury office, Faridabad, in 2017 and 2018. Naresh concealed the death of his father and presented forged documents on behalf of him, hence he is liable to get punishment,” said Singh.

Lalit Yadav, SHO, Civil Lines Police Station, said Naresh’s father retired from the post of principal. “Role of bank officials and treasury employees posted at Faridabad and Rohtak is under scanner. All those concerned will be questioned. However, the bank and Treasury office have recovered the entire amount from Naresh,” said Yadav.