BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 27th February 2024: A massive fraud has been uncovered at the Tripura State Cooperative Bank, where an agent and his wife allegedly siphoned off nearly Rs 2.5 crore from the depositors. The duo, identified as Piyush Datta and Soma Datta, has been booked by the West Agartala police station and are currently absconding.
According to the police, the couple used to collect money from people, especially traders, in Agartala city on a daily basis. They would carry a ledger and collect amounts ranging from Rs. 500 to Rs. 2,000 from each depositor. However, instead of depositing the money in the bank, they would pocket it and use it for their personal expenses.
The scam came to light when the depositors noticed that the couple had stopped taking money from them for a while. When they tried to contact them on their phone, they found it switched off. They also visited their house in the Unnayan Sangh area of North Badharghat, but found it locked and deserted. They then approached the bank and discovered that the couple had not deposited any money in the bank for a long time.
Some of the aggrieved depositors lodged a complaint against the couple at the West Agartala police station, alleging that they had been cheated of more than Rs. 2.5 crore. The police have registered a case of fraud and criminal breach of trust against the couple and launched a manhunt to nab them.
The police said that the couple had been working as agents for the bank for several years and had gained the trust of the depositors. They also said that the couple had recently moved to their own house in Agartala, after living on rent in the Modern Club area of Nagerjala. The police suspect that the couple had planned their escape well in advance and had used the money to buy property and other assets. The police are also probing the role of any bank officials or other accomplices in the fraud.
