JAMMU: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch Jammu presented a preliminary charge-sheet against four persons accused of swindling Rs 5 crore from various branches of J&K Bank across the Union Territory.
The prime accused, Saleem Yousaf Bhatti, a former contractual employee in the Integrated Watershed Management Programme, allegedly manipulated his position and misrepresented facts to secure loans under the pretext of a government scheme for District Poonch.
The co-accused include Mohd Altaf, Ruksana Tabassum, and Zahida Parveen, all residents of Mendhar, Poonch. The accused activated inactive accounts, fabricated fake documents, and managed to secure personal loans, cash credit loans, and car loans by posing as government employees. They also opened fraudulent government accounts at J&K Bank branches.
The charges were filed based on a complaint from the Chief Manager of J&K Bank, alleging illegal activities at the Lassana branch in Surankote, Poonch. The accused had allegedly changed account nomenclatures and created fictitious salary certificates and confirmation letters for non-existent employees.
The preliminary verification substantiated the allegations, leading to the formal registration of the case. The investigation is ongoing to identify and arrest other individuals involved in the fraud and uncover any additional connections in the case.
