Police Probe Rs 16.38 Crore Fraud Via Cloned Cheques

Police have launched an investigation after an astonishing Rs 16.38 crore was siphoned off from the Agartala Municipal Corporation's account using cloned cheques. A case has been registered against the 'unknown fraudsters,' as per an official statement on Friday.

The incident came to light when Sanjib Roy, the zonal manager of UCO Bank, found that the massive amount had been withdrawn from the AMC's account via six cloned cheques over August and the early days of September. Following this revelation, the West Agartala police station lodged an FIR on Thursday based on a specific complaint from the bank official.

According to Rana Chatterjee, Officer in Charge (OC) of West Agartala police station, preliminary investigations have indicated that the fraudsters were operating from Hyderabad. They cleverly forged the signature of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the municipal corporation, D K Chakma, enabling the unauthorized withdrawal while the original cheques remained untouched with the authorities.

In a bid to track down the culprits, the investigating officer has retrieved CCTV footage from the UCO Bank's Kaman Chowmuhani branch. The footage is expected to reveal the identities of those who submitted the forged cheques, providing pivotal leads in the ongoing investigation.

"Identifying the individuals who presented the counterfeit cheques will be a critical breakthrough in resolving this case," said Chatterjee. The investigation continues as authorities work diligently to bring the perpetrators to justice.

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