Multiple Crimes for cash in Assam in 2018-19

Multiple Crimes for cash in Assam in 2018-19

Lure for easy money & materialistic lifestyle instigating more economic offences

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Lure for easy money and desire to lead materialistic lifestyle has resulted in rise in the number of economic offences including bank frauds in Assam.

According to the latest statistics available with the Bureau of Investigation (Economic Offences) 44 cases of economic offences have been registered by the BIEO till December 3, 2018 during the current financial year (2018-19). Altogether 56 persons have been arrested in connection with 44 cases. The BIEO has filed charge sheets in 15 cases.

The number of cases relating to economic offences was quite less in 2017-18 than the present financial year. The BIEO had registered 26 cases, arrested 38 persons and filed charge sheets in 16 cases during the last financial year.

On other hand cases of financial cheating have also seen a rise in the State. The Assam Police registered 4,195 and 5,449 such cases in 2016 & 2017 respectively. In the current financial year the police have registered 1,658 cases till April, 2018.

A source in BIEO told The Sentinel that fast changing social values, tendency to earn easy money and desire to lead purely a materialistic lifestyle sans human values can be attributed to rise in cases of financial frauds and cheating. “A racket of unscrupulous elements with the help of a section of bank officials and employees are committing such crime,” the source said.

The BIEO arrested five persons in connection with a loan fraud to the tune of Rs 2.58 crore at the Zoo Road branch of Punjab National Bank (PNB) in early part of this year.

“It is not just bad debts that are troubling banks. The Reserve Bank of India has already expressed concern over the quantum jump in overall frauds in the banking sector, to Rs 41,000 crore in 2017-18 from Rs 23,000 crore in the previous year,” said a retired bank official in the city here.

The former bank official said the number of fraud cases reported by banks, which averaged 4,500 a year in the past 10 years, increased to 5,835 in 2017-18.

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