With the number of fraudsters duping banks of crores by taking loans against forged documents being on the spiral, Dehradun police have achieved a breakthrough on Wednesday by arresting a notorious swindler from ISBT on charge of securing loans amounting to crores of rupees with forged documents.
The accused has been identified as Virendra Singh Negi, resident of Shastri Nagar, Haridwar Road, Nehru Colony. Police said that the magnitude of the swindling was unprecedented in Uttarakhand. Interestingly, he disclosed some names of bank staffs who allegedly had helped him swindle the banks. He had been sent to jail for 18 months in connection with a case registered by India Bulls Bank. He had been absconding since he had secured a bail. He had gone to Delhi where he had duped scores of unemployed youths on the pretext of providing them with jobs overseas.
It is learnt that along with his accomplices, the accused had secured crores of rupees from various Dehradun—based banks after submitting forged land registry and other documents, said SSP Dr Sadanand Date while interacting with media persons on Wednesday. Around a dozen cases have been registered against him under various police stations of the district, he added.
Along with district police, Special O3peration Group (SOG), Special Task Force (STF) personnel had been pressed into service to nab the fraudster. While being grilled, the accused is learnt to have admitted his crime. According to police, he used to change names and residences to hide his identify. He was in the habit of taking loans from the banks located in the localities he was residing in, police said, adding that he had disclosed names of his accomplices. Teams have been formed to arrest the remaining members of the gang. Police said that they are probing the bank officers and others he had named as accomplices of the frauds he had played on the banks. "We are investigating the bank officials' involvement in these cases seriously," said a police officer probing the case.
The modus operendi of his operation was that he along with his accomplices used to apply for large sums as loans from the banks on the pretext of purchasing land, building houses and starting business. Police sources said that he had even secured loans mortgaging lands owned by his parents located at Shastrinagar and Nehru Gram.
Negi secured loan worth Rs 12 lakh from PNB, Karanpur, Rs 12 lakh from PNB, Rishikesh, Rs 10 lakh from Nayagoan, Rs 12 lakh from PNB, Astley Hall, Rs 17 lakh as house loan from PNB, Astley Hall, Rs 12 lakh from Bank of Baroda, Rs 23 lakh from Indiabulls Bank, Rajpur Road, Rs 23 lakh from Union Bank at MKP, Rs seven lakh from UCO Bank, Sahastradhara, Rs 20 lakh from Punjab and Sindh Bank, Rajpur Road, Rs 15 lakh from PNB Garhi Cantt, Rs 10 lakh from PNB Survey of India, Rs four lakh from Central Bank of India, Rs 25 lakh from City Bank Rajpur Road, Rs 10 lakh from Punjab and Sindh Bank, Rs 10 lakh from UCO Bank Clock Tower and Rs four lakh Union Bank of Kuwalta Terhi Garhwal.