AGRA: A group of five people, including two women, who had allegedly defrauded four different branches of State Bank of India (SBI) and Canara Bank in Mathura by taking loans worth Rs 2.80 crore after mortgaging fake gold, were arrested on Thursday. However, 14 people were still at large.
The accused were identified as Rajesh Agarwal (51), the mastermind of the crime, his daughter Shreya Agarwal (23), Mohammad Suhel (22), Ranjana Verma (45) and Dharmendra Soni (28), an employee of a local jewellery shop who used to issue fictitious certificate of gold evaluation.
The matter came to light when Canara Bank officials found that the mortgaged gold against which they had approved 21 loans to Rajesh Agarwal and others was “fake” during trimester re-appraisal. They lodged two police complaints. A similar complaint was lodged by the SBI.
During investigation, the name Dharmendra Soni, an employee of the empanelled jewellery shop which issued the certificate after checking the purity of gold, came to light.
The gold and the evaluations which the suspects had deposited in the branches from different accounts were provided to them by Rajesh Agarwal. In lieu, each person who took the loan on fake gold was given a share.
During interrogation, Rajesh Agarwal told police that all the loans were approved during a period of three months. Giving details of the distribution of money, Agarwal said, Rs 20 lakh was given to Dharmendra who had bought a sedan car and an Apache bike and he kept aside Rs 25 lakh for himself for building his house. A sum of Rs 20 lakh was given to his daughter for her online business. The remaining money was distributed among people who had taken loans from banks.
SSP Guarav Grover said the accused had taken a bullet loan, in which 65% loan amount is issued against the cost of gold and no installment needs to be paid for one year unlike normal loans.
Circle officer (city) Abhishek Tewari said three FIRs were registered against 19 people under relevant IPC sections at Kotwali police station. Further investigation in the matter was under way. Those on the run will soon be arrested, he added.
