Jammu, Jun 29 : The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch has registered an FIR in connection with an alleged fraud of over ₹68 lakh at Jammu and Kashmir Grameen Bank after an internal vigilance inquiry uncovered suspected fake loan accounts, unauthorised transactions, and diversion of funds.
According to the Crime Branch, the case was registered under Sections 420 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code following complaints forwarded by the Crime Headquarters through the Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau. The complaints were filed by the bank’s Chief of Audits, Inspection and Vigilance.
The inquiry revealed that at the Kaluchak branch, 58 loan accounts under 15 Joint Liability Groups (JLGs), along with two cash credit limit accounts, were allegedly opened and operated fraudulently without the knowledge or consent of the account holders, causing a suspected loss of around ₹42 lakh.
Investigators found that nearly ₹12 lakh was allegedly diverted to bank accounts reportedly held in the name of deceased senior manager Bhagwan Singh Saini, while the remaining loan amounts were withdrawn through ATMs.
The probe also found that a daily wage worker at the branch allegedly admitted to using ₹2 lakh from one JLG loan account for personal purposes. The amount was later recovered from two accounts.
In a separate complaint involving the Surankote branch, branch head Rohit Kumar and others have been accused of carrying out unauthorised transactions and debits amounting to ₹7.37 lakh. They are also alleged to have fraudulently sanctioned and withdrawn loans worth around ₹19 lakh through five fake loan accounts opened without the borrowers’ knowledge or consent.
Officials said the accounts were later shown as settled or closed to reconcile the branch’s cash position.
Based on the complaints and findings of the preliminary verification, the Crime Branch registered a case against Rohit Kumar and other suspected persons for a detailed investigation.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Crime Branch (EOW), Jammu, Faisal Qureshi, appealed to the public to report similar cases to help bring those responsible to justice.
