Punjab Vigilance Bureau unearths Rs 4-crore scam in Cooperative Society; 3 arrested
Chandigarh September 5: A Rs 4-crore scam has come to the fore in Kajla Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society Limited, Kajla village, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has registered a criminal case against seven persons for committing fraud in the said society. Besides, three accused have also been arrested.
A spokesperson for the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Monday said it had come to light that employees and elected representatives of Cooperative Society had committed embezzlement of Rs 4,24,02,561 in connivance with each other, thereby causing a huge loss to the society.
The VB spokesperson said society's secretary Prem Singh, secretary (under suspension) Bhupinder Singh, former president Jaswinder Singh, vice president Harvel Singh, Harjit Singh and Balkar Singh, both former members (all residents of village Kajla) and former member Ram Pal of Paddi Matwali village had in connivance with each other committed a fraud to the tune of Rs 4,24,02,561 in the society.
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An FIR under various sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act had been registered against the seven accused at the Vigilance Bureau police station, Jalandhar. Three accused in this case — Prem Singh, Bhupinder Singh and Harjit Singh — have been arrested.
The spokesperson said there were 1,220 account holders/members in Kajala Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society and it had two tractors, besides agricultural machinery for the cultivation of land. Apart from this, the society also sells insecticides and pesticides to the members/farmers. A total of two employees are working in different places in the society. Various members of this society have deposited FDRs worth crores of rupees in the society.
During the checking of the records by the technical team from 2012-13 to 2017-18, the loans taken by the members of the society and deposits of the members amounted to Rs 4,24,02,561 were found to be embezzled The role of other officials/employees involved in this scam would also be probed during the investigation of the case.
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-PTC News
