Former Bank Manager Arrested On Fraud Charge After Absconding For 3 Years In Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur

Jagatsinghpur: A former lady bank manager, who was absconding for three years after allegedly misappropriating depositors’ money, was arrested in the district on Saturday.

According to sources, the former manager of Parahat branch of Canara Bank (formerly Syndicate Bank) in Balikuda, Sohani Tapno, had allegedly misappropriated nearly Rs 13 lakh from loan in favour of depositors of some SHGs without their knowledge.

The matter came to light when Maa Santoshi, an all women SHG of Parahat applied to the bank for loan. The bank refused to sanction the loan on the ground that the SHG had not cleared its previous loan of Rs 50,000 taken in 2017.

Since the SHG had not availed the loan, it president Malati Panda had sought intervention of Tapno who was the bank branch manager then. When she avoided the matter, local SHGs alleged irregularities in the bank and staged protests following which Tapno was suspended.

After assuming charge as the new branch manager, Jameswar Behera conducted an internal audit which revealed that loans to the tune of Rs 13 lakh had been sanctioned to six SHGs and 11 other beneficiaries by Tapno without their knowledge. 

The bank authorities then filed case against Tapno in a local court in 2020. The court directed Balikuda police to nab the accused. Police arrested Tapno three years after she went underground.

Tapno, who had fraudulently availed Rs 13 lakh loan on behalf of depositors, has been arrested and produced in court, TNIE quoted Balikuda DSP Rashmi Ranjan Sahu as saying.