Bhubaneswar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Bhubaneswar, arrested an accused Neeraj Kumar, a Chartered Accountant and resident of Bindapur, Uttam Nagar, New Delhi on 23.07.2022 from Delhi, in connection with a loan fraud of Punjab National Bank to the tune of Rs 6.18 crores. Neeraj was produced before the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Dwarka, New Delhi, and was brought on transit remand to Bhubaneswar to be produced before the Court of SDJM, Bhubaneswar.
The case had been registered on the written report of Paresh Kumar Das, Circle Head, Punjab National Bank, Bhubaneswar against accused Kali Prasad Mishra, Proprietor of M/s K.P. Solutions and others on the allegation that the accused person availed Cash Credit (CC) loan for working capital to the tune of Rs 250 lakhs on 24.10.2017 from Punjab National Bank, Bapuji Nagar Branch, Bhubaneswar by using fake/forged documents and mortgaging landed properties as collateral security those stand recorded in the names of someone else without the knowledge of the land owners.
The investigation also revealed that Neeraj Kumar, a qualified Chartered Accountant was working in Punjab National Bank during the year 2013 to 2016 as Manager, Credit, in Saheed Nagar Branch Bhubaneswar along with accused Birendra Kumar Pattanaik who was also working as Chief Manager in the same branch. It also revealed that Neeraj Kumar resigned from PNB during the year 2016 and after his resignation he used to sit in PNB, Bapuji Nagar Branch posing as a Bank official in which accused Birendra Kumar Pattanaik was the Chief Manager and was actively engaged in facilitating and arranging loans to the tune of Crores from PNB, Bapuji Nagar Branch.
Out of his earlier relation with Birendra Kumar Pattnaik, accused Neeraj Kumar had free access to PNB, Bapuji Nagar Branch and was sitting inside the staff seating area of PNB, Bapuji Nagar Branch, posing himself as serving Bank staff/CA. He along with accused Prakash Kumar Behera (Still in Judicial Custody) and other Bank officials has arranged/facilitated the sanction of loans on the basis of forged documents and impersonation, and thereby caused wrongful loss to the bank to the tunes of Crores and corresponding wrongful gain to themselves.
It came to light that Srikant Prusty as Sr. Manager, who verified the genuineness of the identity and addresses of the three guarantors/loanee has neither visited the residence of the guarantors located at Nandi Sahi, Cuttack nor interacted with them prior to the sanction of loan during pre-sanction visits. It revealed during investigation that Neeraj Kumar and Prakash Behera had identified the impersonators to the bank officer Srikant prusty as genuine loanee and visited their fake addresses at Cuttack.
It also came to light that on the day of sanction of loan and subsequent to it, lakhs of rupees have been diverted/transferred of M/s K. P Solutions, Prop- Kali Prasad Mishra to the bank accounts of M/s Neeraj Kumar & Associates, Prop- Neeraj and to others .
Earlier, accused persons namely Kali Prasad Mishra, Prop of M/s K P Solutions, Srikant Prasad Prusty, the then Sr. Manager, Credit, PNB Bapuji Nagar, Birendra Kumar Pattnaik, the then Chief Manager, Narendra Nayak, the then Manager, both of Bapuji Nagar Branch, PNB, Bhubaneswar and Prakash Kumar Behera MD/Directors of M/s Ubique Multitech Private Limited, M/s Aziel Trading And Marketing Pvt Ltd have been arrested in this case.
The accused persons have also adopted similar modus operandi in sanctioning loan of Rs.3.5 Crores in favour of one M/s Lingaraj Enterprises against mortgage of residential duplexes of the complainant – Prasant Kumar Mohaptra without his knowledge. The said property documents were actually deposited by the complainant in the bank for availing a loan of Rs. 10 lakhs for him.
The bank officials of Punjab National Bank, Bapuji Nagar Branch in criminal conspiracy with the middle men Neeraj kumar, Prakash Behera and the partners of M/s Lingaraj Enterprises, had extended business loan to the tune of Rs. 3.5 crores in favour of one M/s Lingaraj Enterprises basing on the forged/ false documents. The said loan account of M/s Lingaraj Enterprises turned to NPA during the year 2018 having outstanding loan amount to the tune of Rs.3.68 Crores. The complainant came to know about the fraudulent act of the accused persons only when he was served notice under SARFAESI Act.
The present accused being a chartered accountant and previous employee of PNB, was still exercising his clout to sit in the PNB, Bapuji Nagar Branch, in connivance with the above noted accused officials of PNB, and was knowingly being involved in facilitating/processing/sanctioning the Bank loans often by devious means i.e. by impersonating the dead persons as guarantor, by mortgaging the property of others beyond their knowledge, using forged documents as genuine etc. The EOW will seek remand of Neeraj for further investigation in the case.
