BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 19th January 2026 :
Sabroom subdivision has been rocked by a shocking case of bank fraud in Rupaiychari, raising serious questions about systemic lapses and accountability. The victim, Panchashalakshi Tripura, a destitute tribal woman from Brinda Kishore Para in Bishnupur ADC village, now faces ruin after being trapped in a well-organized loan scam allegedly facilitated by local brokers and overlooked by bank officials.
According to complaints, a tribal youth named Foren Tripura fraudulently obtained Panchashalakshi’s vital documents and used them to secure an Rs 50,000 loan from a rural bank. Although her name appeared on the loan papers, the signature was allegedly provided by another broker, Jitendra Tripura. After paying installments for a month, Foren Tripura disappeared, leaving the burden of repayment on Panchashalakshi.
Shockingly, the bank began deducting installments directly from her account without proper verification.
The fraud came to light when Panchashalakshi visited the bank recently to withdraw government assistance funds, only to find her account completely empty. “I knew nothing about this loan. Why must I suffer for someone else’s crime?” she cried, breaking down in tears.
Current branch manager Pranesh Pal stated that the loan was approved during the tenure of former manager Naresh Tripura, now posted in Agartala. When questioned by the media, Naresh dismissed the incident as “merely a mistake.”
But the public outrage is palpable: Can a poor tribal family be forced to pay the price for what officials call a “mistake”? Sources suggest that multiple similar loan frauds occurred during the same period.
Local residents are demanding an impartial investigation to expose the role of the broker network and bank officials. They insist on strict punishment for the culprits and financial as well as legal support for Panchashalakshi and other affected families.
Without swift action, they warn, such frauds will not remain isolated incidents but will evolve into a silent, ruthless mechanism of exploiting the poor.
