CHANDIGRAH /JALANDHAR
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Thursday arrested an absconding accused Sharnjit Singh, resident of village Chak Hakeem, Phagwara, now residing in village Bassi Baldad, in Hoshiarpur on charges of defrauding the Punjab Gramin Bank, Phagwara, by taking a loan of Rs. 25 lakh based on forged documents. He was evading his arrest for three years and four months.
Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson of the VB said in this regard a case based on a Vigilance Enquiry, had already been registered under FIR No. 11, dated 31-08-2020 under sections 409, 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B of IPC. and under section 13 (1) (a) (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act at VB police station Jalandhar.
He informed that the above-mentioned accused had been sanctioned this huge loan in connivance with bank manager Harbhajan Singh Kapoor and bank valuer Satish Kumar Sharma.
He further informed that there is a total 16 accused in the above-mentioned case, out of which six accused - Raj Kumar resident of Thatthiala Mohalla, Phagwara, Valuer Satish Kumar Sharma, Subhash Kumar resident of Mahindwani, District Hoshiarpur, Avtar Singh resident of Asha Park Colony, Phagwara, Pankaj resident of Mohalla Ratanpura, Phagwara, Rajesh Kumar resident of Mohalla Ratanpura, Phagwara and Satish Jha of Chak Hakim, Phagwara had already been arrested. The Bureau is on the lookout for the arrest of the remaining accused, who would be arrested soon, he said.
Giving more details of this case, he said during the investigation by VB, it was found that a residential colony named Bhai Ghanaiya Enclave had been built in the total area of 35 kanal 03 marlas of village Chak Hakeem in Phagwara. Sukhwinder Kaur Atwal and Maninder Kaur Atwal, who have equal ownership of 8 kanal 15 marla of the area of the said Khasra numbers of this colony, had given two separate powers of attorney to Gurcharan Singh Atwal, resident of village Anokhwal, for the maintenance and sale of their land. He had further appointed Raj Kumar, resident of Thatthiara Mohalla, Phagwara as special power of attorney.
The spokesperson informed that according to Raj Kumar, during the year 2009-10, he was working privately with the said Avtar Singh Phagwara, and then this document was registered in his name with the help of his owner, Avtar Singh. The latter was also an acquaintance of Gurcharan Singh Atwal.
In the Bhai Ghanaiya Enclave Colony, about 101 marla area of land was sold as separate plots but about 74 marla area was remaining as balance for roads and streets. This area of land was still in the revenue records listed in the name of above said Raj Kumar (Mukhtiar-e-Khas) and its owner, Avtar Singh Phagwara. The duo to commit fraud, sold this area (74 marlas) as small plots in the said Colony based on Fard Jamabandi received from revenue officials. They had written the sale contracts in the names of Avtar Singh, Pradeep Kumar, Pankaj Kumar and others who later gave the written contracts in their favour to the manager Harbhajan Singh Kapur at the said Punjab Grameen Bank and to the valuer Satish Kumar Sharma.
All these accused persons in connivance with the bank manager and valuer, managed to get sanctioned loans amounting to lakhs of rupees based on such Fards from the said bank in the name of construction of new houses whereas no house could be constructed on the said land earmarked for roads. All the accused without constructing any houses, got clicked pictures by standing in front of the houses of the people living in other colonies coming up in village Chak Hakeem. By doing this, they had falsely mortgaged houses belonging to other peoples, he said.
During the investigation, it has come to light that in all this fraud, bank manager Harbhajan Singh Kapoor and valuer Satish Kumar Sharma misused their official positions and provided full support to the loan borrowers. Both of them colluded with the loanees and caused huge financial losses to the bank and government amounting to Rs.3,40,71,000.
The spokesperson further added that in the same way, the above-mentioned accused Sharnjit Singh had also shown to buy a plot measuring 5 and a half marlas on 29-09-2015 and after mutation, he procured a loan to the tune of Rs 25 lakh from the said Punjab Gramin Bank with the connivance of manager Harbhajan Singh Kapoor and valuer Satish Kumar Sharma for the construction of the new house, while in fact, he has not constructed any house on the said land. In this regard, the above-mentioned accused has been arrested and will be produced in the competent court tomorrow. Further investigation into this case was under progress.