SBI audit officer arrested for branch manager's suicide from Silchar Railway Station

 A CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR: The mysterious death of Kuldeep Dasgupta, the young branch of SBI, took a dramatic twist as Silchar police on Sunday night arrested Yogendra Pandey, Chief Manager (Audit) of State Bank of India. Pandey was arrested from Silchar Railway Station where he was supposed to catch the Guwahati bound late night train. Earlier on Sunday, Aloka Dasgupta, mother of Kuldeep registered an FIR with Sonai Police Station directly pointing fingers at Pandey and Shibu Nath, a Grade IV staff of SBI Kabuganj branch. Aloka Dasgupta said, Nath and Pandey had been blackmailing her son.

Pinak Roy, brother-in-law of Kuldeep said, Shibu was involved in corrupt practice in the branch for long time. Kuldeep Dasgupta joined the Kabuganj branch one and half years back and he stopped the illegal means Nath used to practise particularly in cases of agricultural loans to the local farmers. Prior to internal audit, some important files of the branch had also gone missing. Kuldeep suspected that it was the handiwork of Nath, hinted Pinak Roy. Kuldeep even had told his mother and sister Anindita that he was being mentally harassed by some of his colleagues.

The episode took another serious turn with the arrival of Pandey. Pinak Roy said, the SBI chief manager (Audit) started pressuring Kuldeep to pay bribe, otherwise he would charge him with ill practices. "We have proofs that Pandey had forced Kuldeep to purchase him an iPhone, a Rs 5000 ticket for India-Sri Lanka cricket match in Guwahati and even medicines for his family costing Rs 7000. Kuldeep was forced to purchase Pandey all these things online," Roy said.

SP Nomal Mahato said, they had prima facie proof that Dasgupta was under tremendous pressure from Pandey who even demanded financial gratification. Pandey, who came from Patna had been staying here for last seven days and visited a number of SBI branches for annual audit. Mahato said, a few branch managers in writing informed the police that Pandey had similarly demanded bribe from. Pandey had been taken into police remand. Mahato further said Shibu Nath was yet to be quizzed.

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