GANGTOK, SEPT 30: The Sikkim Vigilance Police (SVP) has arrested a former General Manager of the State Bank of Sikkim (SBS) in connection with a disproportionate assets case, with investigators conducting searches at multiple properties linked to the accused in Gangtok and Siliguri.
According to the SVP, the former bank official was arrested on September 28 following an investigation into allegations that he had accumulated assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Searches were subsequently carried out at several residential premises allegedly linked to the accused, during which the Vigilance Police seized documents and other materials relating to properties and financial assets.
In a statement, the SVP alleged that the accused, while serving as General Manager of SBS between 2022 and 2024, was involved in corrupt practices and the illegal diversion of funds. The agency further alleged that the proceeds were used to acquire buildings and parcels of land in the names of the accused and his wife.
The Vigilance Police said documents recovered during the searches are being examined to establish the nature and extent of the alleged transactions and the source of funds used for the acquisition of the properties.
The latest action comes against the backdrop of an earlier investigation into alleged financial irregularities at SBS. The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), in March this year, had provisionally attached movable and immovable properties worth ₹65.46 crore in a money-laundering case involving former SBS General Manager (Operations) Dorjee Tshering Lepcha.
The ED had said the attached assets included four immovable properties comprising residential buildings and land parcels in Deorali, Syari, Ranipool and Penlong, besides bank balances and fixed deposits totalling approximately ₹53.41 crore held in the names of Lepcha and his family members.
According to the ED, its investigation had found that the alleged proceeds were linked to the diversion of funds from SBS. The agency had alleged that a fraudulent bank account was created in the name of the “AE Roads and Bridges Department, Government of Sikkim”, following which funds were allegedly diverted through manipulation of the bank's accounting records. The ED had also alleged that the diverted funds were transferred to accounts linked to Lepcha, his wife, family members and associates.
The ED had initiated its investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the CID Police Station in Gangtok, with the case subsequently transferred to the Sikkim Vigilance Police, according to the agency.
The SVP has said further investigation is underway to ascertain the total value and nature of the assets allegedly acquired through illicit means. The agency is also examining the documents seized during the searches and will take further legal action based on the evidence gathered.
The Vigilance Police has also stated that it has registered several FIRs in the past relating to alleged corruption involving officials of the State Bank of Sikkim across different branches, with investigations in those cases continuing.
अनलाइन् खबर पत्रिका तथ्य जाँच र आचारसंहिता प्रतिवेदन:
यो सामग्री हाम्रा सम्पादक टोलीद्वारा तथ्य प्रमाणीकरण र प्रेस काउन्सिल अफ इन्डिया आचारसंहिता बमोजिम प्रकाशित गरिएको हो।
