NAHARLAGUN, Mar 31: Itanagar capital police arrested eight people in connection with a fraud cheque case amounting to Rs. 9 crore.
Speaking to the media, Assistant Superintendent of Police cum SDPO Naharlagun, Dekio Gumja informed that, a cheque amount of Rs 9,78,45,868 issued from New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) was brought to the State Bank of India, G- extension branch for clearance in favour of a local firm owned by one Tarh Tajuk. The Chief Manager of the SBI prior to encashing the cheque upon verification with the NDMC authorities and SBI Delhi (bank from where the cheque was issued) learnt that the said cheque was fake leading to registration of NLG PS Case No-38/23 u/s 120B/468/ 471/ 474/475/410/420/511 IPC.
During the investigation, it was established that, a group of persons from ICR got in touch with a habitual fraud gang operating out of Nepal and hatched up a conspiracy to cheat public banks by depositing fraudulent cheques and other forged documents.
Tajuk along with Jampa Khenrab, Sange Dakpa, Dhan Bahadur Lama received the said cheque from one Kishor Tamang who runs a car wash at Itanagar. The party then prepared the forged letter of EE NDMC to Chief Manager SBI directing him to release the said cheque.
They prepared the letter by downloading NDMC logo and details of the officer from NDMC website. They then submitted the cheque to SBI. The plan was that once the cheque is encashed half of the money will be taken by Tamang while the rest will be distributed within the group of persons in ICR. Accordingly, through police efforts, Tarh Tajuk, Jampa Khenrab, Sange Dakpa, Dhan Bahadur Lama and Kishor Tamang were arrested from various locations in the state.
Kishor Tamang revealed that he got in touch with one Anil Singh at Balipara few months ago who introduced him to the fraud cheque crime and agreed to encash the cheque in Arunachal Pradesh.
Accordingly, in the second week of March, the duo along with another accomplice Suresh Kumar left for Nepal to meet the kingpin of the entire racket one Ganga @ Bhandari. Ganga gave them the said cheque for Rs 9,78,45,868 with an understanding that half of the encashed amount will be given to them and the other half will be kept by the party encashing the cheque. After returning to Itanagar on March 16, Kishor Tamang got in touch with his old friend Dhan Bdr Lama who got him in touch with Sange Dakpa who then led him to Jampa Khenrab and finally to Tarh Tajuk.
Police team has arrested Anil Singh, Suresh Kumar and the person who prepared the cheque, one Abhimanyu Chauhan.
Efforts are on to locate the Nepal-based kingpin Ganga @ Bhandari. Police team has also recovered the forged seal of EE NDMC and other incriminating documents establishing the story of the prosecution, added ASP Dekio Gumja.