Police will attach the property of 24 people for taking Rs 2.26-crore worth of loans from a private bank by mortgaging fake gold ornaments.
On August 15, the manager of the bank’s Gaya branch, Rajiv Moti, lodged case against 30 people, including the local appraiser (who checks the purity of gold), Manoj Verma, with Civil Lines police station.
Verma was arrested on August 16, while five others surrendered to the police on different dates thereafter, which saved them from attachment of property. The police said Verma has been charged with certifying the purity of the fake gold.
Bank officials declined to talk to the media.
Gaya senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vinay Kumar told the media on Saturday: “The police have obtained court orders to attach property of the accused. The process of property attachment would begin soon.”
The SSP said some other departments like the sales tax, income tax, Bihar State Electricity Board and land registration would also be involved in the inquiry against these persons.
Senior police officers, including Patna region inspector-general of police, Bhrigu Srinivasan, and the Magadh range deputy inspector-general of police, Nayyer Hasnain Khan, are also monitoring the case. Sources said the accused used the fraudulently withdrawn loan amount to purchase land at some places, including Bodhgaya. Some of the accused have managed to acquire immovable and movable property.
The police would also investigate the newly acquired property. Among the five who surrendered, two have got bail by depositing the loan amount withdrawn from the bank, sources said.
Of 29 borrowers, 16 took loan for more than one time. The total loan amount of more than Rs 2.26 crore was taken on 64 different occasions between February and August this year. The matter came to light when an appraiser from Calcutta arrived in Gaya and checked 64 packets in which gold ornaments were deposited in the bank. The appraiser revealed that the gold mortgaged to seek loans was fake.
Following the report of the Calcutta appraiser, the manager of the bank’s Gaya branch lodged the FIR.
