About half a crore of rural credit has reportedly been misappropriated by a section of Janata Bank Kotalipara Branch officials in association with middlemen.
It was alleged that loan officers Sudhonno Kumar Halder and Upanondo Bala were involved in the embezzlement. They were alleged to have pocketed the large amount of loans sanctioned in the name of debtors.
The embezzlement surfaced as Kotalipara Branch new manager Kazi Imdadul Huq took steps to collect unrealised debt. As the incident was made public, Sudhonno Kumar Halder went into hiding. After getting default notice, a large section of former debtors rushed to the bank to show their loan paid documents.
They also made allegations against three Janata Bank Kotalipara Branch officials – Sudhonno Kumar Halder, Upanondo Bala and Ashis kumar Biswas – who branded them as defaulters.
Digbijoy Biswas, a resident of Zohorerkandi village of Kotalipara upazila, said two separate notices regarding bank loan was served in the name of his father Khitish Biswas and uncle Kumod Biswas who died 10 and 12 years ago respectively.
Bijoy claimed that none of their family actually took any loan amounting to Tk90,000 from the bank in 2011 in the name of his father and uncle as the notice said.
Majbari village resident Mujibor of the upazila said he paid back the loan of Tk60,000 that he took from the bank a year year ago, but the bank officials embezzled the amount of money without depositing it to the bank.
“I showed the loan paid document to the bank last March after a default notice was served to me,” he said.
Ramshil village resident Balai Chand Mondol made the same allegation as Mujibor. “I never took any loan from the bank, but I was served a notice from the bank. I was surprised to see the notice,” he said.
Satpar Branch Manager Ashis Kumar Biswas said the two debt collectors might have committed some petty corruptions in his absence.
“I personally am not involved in it, nor did I issue any such loan,” he said.
Kotalipara Branch Manager Kazi Imdadul Huq said a large amount of rural credit of the bank remained unrealised and the system of giving “bad loan” was responsible for this.
Janata Bank Faridpur Zone Deputy General Manager Md Jayen Uddin admitted the fact.
He said the bank would take steps against the accused and no one would be spared if proven guilty.
