Bhubaneswar, May 24: The CBI today took a film producer and the suspended branch manager of Odisha Gramya Bank on seven-day remand after arresting them in connection with a Rs 13.22 crore loan fraud.
Officials said realtor and filmmaker Ratikanta Kanungo, 50, and suspended branch manager of Odisha Gramya Bank, Dumduma branch, Kalindi Charan Nayak, 58, had been detained by the investigating agency yesterday.
Senior public prosecutor, CBI, Kali Charan Mishra said the two accused were produced before special CBI judge M.K. Panda at his residence this afternoon. “The investigating officer sought a seven-day remand from the judge for interrogation. The two will be produced before the court on May 30,” said Mishra.
The CBI officials said that according to the original complaint lodged by the chairman of Odisha Gramya Bank D.K. Nanda there were allegations about the involvement of seven persons — five loan takers, the branch manager and the gold appraiser. But the realtor was also arrested as prima facie evidence was found against him during investigation. He and the branch manager had conspired to obtain over Rs 13.22 crore in the form of loans in the names of others.
The loans were taken several times between December 2012 and March this year in the names of Kanungo’s driver Nakul Parida, his cook Anil Das, Purushottam Sahu and Surya Narayan Sahu, who happen to be father and son and run a tailoring shop in Unit-IV, and Bijon Samal, a temporary employee of the bank. Samal was working as a messenger in the bank.
While a loan worth Rs.4.32 crore was taken in the name of Samal, around Rs 7 crore was obtained as loan in the name of father-son duo. The rest was drawn in the name of Kanungo’s driver and cook.
Sources said the documents relating to the bank transactions for the loans were seized from Kanungo’s house. The branch manager used to buy land from Kanungo, who owns Shibani Estates and Promoters Private Limited. In return, he would deposit the amount drawn in the form of loan from the realtor’s account in the bank. Nayak had bought 12 plots from Kanungo in the name of his family members in Bhubaneswar and its outskirts.
“We conducted raids at the office and residence of Kanungo and houses of the other accused. We seized several documents from these places,” said a CBI official, adding that the raids would continue.
Several people who had paid money to buy land from Kanungo were seen waiting outside his Saheed Nagar office yesterday while the raids were on. Surendra Behera from Aiginia, who had deposited Rs 50,000 in 2000 with Kanungo for a plot of land, alleged that he later realised that the plot shown to him belonged to the government. “Since then I have been running from pillar to post to get my money back,” said Behera.
