Jajpur: Two officials of a rural bank have been suspended in connection with a loan fraud of over Rs 42 lakh by mortgaging counterfeit gold in Odisha’s Jajpur, an official said.
The suspended officials have been identified as Satabdee Pradhan, former manager and Pratibha Mishra, former assistant manager of the Jaraka branch of Odisha Gramya Bank (OGB).
The fraud came to light during a joint routine inspection recently, after which the bank authorities suspended the two officials and removed the gold appraiser for the offence, a bank official said.
The bank’s regional manager, Dig Bijay Bahadur Das, filed a complaint with Dharmasala police station Thursday.
According to the complaint, seven people from local villages had taken a loan of Rs 42.67 lakh from the bank by mortgaging fake gold jewellery.
All the loanees were known to the branch’s gold appraiser, who had recommended the loans, police said.
The regional manager of the bank has named seven loanees, a former manager, an ex-assistant manager and a former gold appraiser of the branch in his police complaint.
Based on the complaint, police have registered a case against 10 people under various sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and initiated a probe into it.
“The matter is under investigation and the culprits will be arrested soon,” the Inspector-in-Charge of Dharmasala police station, Tapan Kumar Nayak, said.
PTI
