Jeweller arrested in Rs 44 lakh gold loan fraud in Odisha

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bolangir, Mar 26:

Police have arrested a jeweller-cum-bank empanelled appraiser in Odisha’s Bolangir for his alleged involvement in a gold loan fraud.

According to reports, 14 persons including the arrested jeweller Abhimanyy Mohapatra had availed gold loan to the tune of Rs 44 lakh from Kusanga branch of State Bank of India under Bolangir Sadar police limits by mortgaging fake gold to the bank. Mohapatra, who is an empanelled appraiser of the bank, had certified the gold to be genuine.

The fraud was detected by the bank during the audit this month. Following the detection of the fraud bank authorities had informed Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch. On EOW directions Bolangir Sadar police swung into action and have arrested Mohapatra after registering a case against all the 14.

“According to their complaint, 14 loanees have availed loans by mortgaging fake gold and were not repaying the loans. When they examined the gold mortgaged by them it was found to be fake. After registration of the case, we have arrested the appraiser Abhimanyu Mohapatra who had certified the pledged metal to be gold. He has been arrested. He too is a loanee and has taken a loan of Rs 3 lakh by mortgaging gold. We seized all documents and have forwarded Mohapatra to court. Efforts are on to arrest others,” informed Ananda Chandra Majhi, IIC Bolangir Sadar Police Station.