Bhubaneswar: The Laxmisagar police Friday arrested a 30-year-old woman Friday for allegedly swindling Rs 3.38 lakh from four Self Help Groups (SHGs) by forging the bank account details of the beneficiaries.
The accused, identified as Sanjukta Maharatha, succeeded in tricking the members into believing that she was in urgent need of cash to perpetrate the fraud, said Laxmisagar Inspector-in-Charge (IIC) P Shyam Sundar Rao. Rao said Sanjukta, who lives in the area, served as the secretary of Gorakhanatha SHG, Jayagananatha SHG, Omm Sai Ram SHG, and Mangala Mandap SHG.
Between 2022 and December 2024, she withdrew Rs3.38 lakh in various installments from the accounts of the SHGs by forging the account details of as many as 10 beneficiaries. Rao said on a particular occasion, Sanjukta had withdrawn Rs 2 lakh from Jayagananatha SHG.
Matters came to light when the group members confronted her about the clandestine withdrawals.
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“Sanjukta then assured them of returning the money at the earliest. When she failed to keep her word for a long time, the SHG members lodged a complaint against her Friday,” Rao added.
However, the defrauded money is yet to be recovered from Sanjukta following her arrest, Rao said, adding that she has been booked under Section 420 of IPC. She was produced in a court for remand later in the day.
PNN
