Dhubri UCO bank employee arrested for embezzling Rs 34 lakh
Rs 10 lakh in cash was recovered from his Bihar hideout. Accused confessed to spending the stolen amount on online betting games like 'Online 55' and 'Aviator'.;
Arrested employee of the UCO Bank's South Salmara branch
Dhubri, April 8: In a significant breakthrough, the Dhubri police arrested Shivshankar Prasad Bin, an employee of the UCO Bank's South Salmara branch, on the charges of embezzling Rs 34 lakh from the bank.
The accused, a resident of Dhubri, was tracked down and arrested from a rented accommodation in Saidpur Rajauli village under Hajipur block in Bihar's Vaishali district during a raid on April 6 and was brought to Dhubri on Monday.
The operation, led by sub-inspector and investigating officer Mehbub Ali, was executed under the directive of Dhubri Superintendent of Police Nabin Singh. The police team recovered Rs 10 lakh in cash from Bin's possession at the time of his arrest. He was brought back to Dhubri on Monday and produced before the court, where police sought his custody for further interrogation.
The alleged fraud came to light after the South Salmara branch manager, Chiradeep Paul, received multiple complaints from customers reporting discrepancies in their deposit balances. An internal audit soon revealed that approximately Rs 8 lakh deposited by customers had not been credited to their respective accounts.
As the scrutiny deepened, a further Rs 26 lakh was found missing from the bank's internal reserves, pointing to a total embezzlement of Rs 34 lakh. The discovery prompted branch manager Paul to lodge a formal com-plaint at the Dhubri Sadar Police Station, triggering a full-scale investigation.
SP Nabin Singh addressed the press following the arrest, shedding light on thecomplexities of the case and the determined efforts that led to tracking the accused across state lines. "The arrest of the accused from Bihar demonstrates our com-mitment to tackling financial crimes with utmost seriousness," Singh stated.
Meanwhile, police sources stated that during a preliminary interrogation, Bin confessed to using a large portion of the stolen money for online betting games such as 'Online 55' and 'Aviator'. His addiction to such platforms appears to be a key factor behind the misappropriation.
The Dhubri police are now continuing their investigation to uncover the full scope of the fraud and recover the remaining stolen funds. Authorities also plan to scrutinize internal security lapses at the bank that may have enabled such a large-scale financial crime.
