Former Bank Manager Arrested On Fraud Charges after 3 Years
Former Bank Manager Arrested On Fraud Charges after 3 Years
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Jagatsinghpur: On Saturday, a former female bank manager who had been missing for three years after allegedly misappropriating depositors' funds was apprehended in the district.
Sohani Tapno, the former manager of the Parahat branch of Canara Bank (formerly Syndicate Bank) in Balikuda, is accused of stealing over Rs 13 lakh from depositors of various SHGs without their knowledge, according to sources.
When Maa Santoshi, a Parahat-based all-women SHG, requested for a loan, the situation became public. The bank refused to grant the loan since the SHG had not paid off a previous loan of Rs 50,000 it had taken out in 2017.
Because the SHG had not been able to obtain the loan, its president, Malati Panda, sought the help of Tapno, the bank branch manager at the time. Local SHGs claimed problems in the bank and conducted protests after she avoided the topic, leading to Tapno's suspension.
Following his appointment as the new branch manager, Jameswar Behera performed an internal audit, which revealed that Tapno had sanctioned loans totaling Rs 13 lakh to six SHGs and 11 other recipients without their knowledge.
In 2020, the bank authorities filed a case against Tapno in a local court. The judge ordered the accused to be apprehended by Balikuda police. Three years after she went underground, Tapno was apprehended by police.
Tapno, who illegally obtained a Rs 13 lakh loan on behalf of depositors, was apprehended and taken to court, according to Balikuda DSP Rashmi Ranjan Sahu, as stated by TNIE.
