Accused still on the run, process on to nab him

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, July 12

Even after the registration of FIR by the rural police, the sufferers in embezzlement case of a multipurpose society in Bhogpur have been themselves finding ways to help nab the accused who is on the run. Embezzlement amounting to more than Rs 27 lakh had come to the fore in a cooperative agriculture and multipurpose society in Bhogpur in May.

This is a tentative amount that an inquiry report had suggested, the amount of embezzlement may be more. An FIR under Section 409 and 420 of the IPC was lodged in Bhogpur police station in June, but the accused who is the secretary of the society is still on run and the complainants have registered their complaint to the Punjab Police helpline number 181.

Balwinder Singh, one of the complainant informed that he had called on helpline number 181 and registered his complaint. “I had then got a reply that they have again marked our complaint to SSP Rural Jalandhar to hasten the process of nabbing the culprit,” he said.

The embezzled amount is of two years i.e. 2015 and 2016 and the checking of records of 2017 and 2018 is still to be done, which will add to the amount of money misappropriated .

The complainants from Loharan and nearby villages had come to the SSP (Rural) headquarters to lodge a complaint against the accused on May 7.

According to the complainants, the account statements of the loan and other accounts were issued by the society, but amounts were never deposited and entries were not made in the account books. The complainants on Monday lodged the complaint against the secretary of the society with the SSP (rural) police.

The victims said they had deposited different amounts on different dates with the society in savings bank, loans and FDR accounts. They further alleged that the FDRs and other receipts were issued, but when some of them contacted the society, they found that the receipts were fictitious and amounts were never deposited in their bank accounts and the cooperative bank under which the society worked.

The victims — Harbhajan Singh (76), Puran Singh (85), Raghubir Singh (79), Malkiat Singh (75), Hardayal Singh (77), Darshan Singh (80), Beant Singh (87), Charanpreet Singh, Manohar Singh (76), Gurnam Singh (67) and Gurbachan Singh (88) — had been approaching the authorities.

Surjit Singh Gill, SHO Bhogpur said the accused was still absconding and efforts were on to nab him.