By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 3 Dec: A major financial fraud involving crores of rupees has come to light in Dehradun. In all, 17 businessmen are stated to have availed Mudra loans from UCO Bank for starting new businesses or expanding businesses but have failed to utilise the funds for the intended purpose. As per the complaint, the accused also defaulted on repayment of the loan amounts. Acting on a complaint lodged by the bank manager, the police have registered a case and initiated investigation into the matter.
According to the complaint filed by UCO Bank’s Garhi Cantt Branch Manager Ankita Mishra, loans amounting to Rs 1.40 crores were sanctioned to 17 individuals for business purposes. However, after disbursement, these business owners not only failed to deposit their instalments but have been found to have used forged documents to avail loans. Internal inquiries by the bank revealed that several applicants had submitted forged documents. In some cases, businesses were shut down soon after receiving the loan, while in other cases, the firms have been found to be non-existent or closed at the given addresses.
UCO Bank has alleged that 17 businessmen deliberately acted in a conspiracy to defraud the bank.
The complaint names Sonia Sharma of Sonia Enterprises, resident near Doon Medical College; Shikha Pal of Shikha Enterprises, resident of DL Road; Nitin Shankar of CRP Enterprises, resident of National Road; Harpreet Kaur of Reet Enterprises, resident of Dehrakhas; Som Singh of Mahadev Trade, resident of Kalagarh Road; Ashish Negi of Negi Enterprises, resident of Haripur Nawada; Arjun Gulati of Indian Trading Company, resident of Indira Vihar; Pooja Sharma of Pooja Garments, resident of Mannu Ganj; Som Singh of Neelkanth Enterprises, resident of Kaulagarh Road; Som Singh of Natraj Associates, resident of Kaulagarh; Anas Qureshi of Anas Traders, resident of Aghoiwala; Sagar Rawal of Guru Nanak Traders, resident of Paltan Bazaar; Madhusudan Thakur of Manvi Foods, resident of Tapkeshwar Colony; Ankush Verma of Verma Associates, resident of Aman Vihar; Shubham Kukreja of Bachpan Firm, resident of Ashirwad Enclave; Namrata Dev of Kuber Lakshmi Enterprises, resident of Nai Basti; and Neeraj of Neeraj Enterprises, resident of Shrirampur.
Cantt Police Station In-Charge Kamal Lunthi has confirmed that a case has been registered against the 17 accused based on the complaint from the Garhi Cantt branch manager of UCO Bank. He further stated that in this Rs 1.44 crore fraud, the possible involvement of bank employees and officials may also surface during investigation. It is worth remembering that ordinarily, bank staff should conduct a survey of the firm before sanctioning any loan. Usually, the loan disbursement is made only after proper verification of documents. In this case, however, loans seem to have been allegedly sanctioned despite multiple firms being registered at the same address, raising suspicion of collusion.
