Dhubri, Assam: The Assam Police have successfully apprehended a UCO Bank employee accused of a significant embezzlement case that rocked the South Salmara branch in Dhubri town. Shivshankar Prasad Bin, who was employed at the aforementioned branch, was taken into custody in the early hours of Sunday, April 6th, from a village in Bihar following allegations of misappropriating a substantial sum of money.
The accused, identified as a resident of Dhubri, was tracked down to Saidpur Rajauli village, situated within the Hajipur Block of Vaishali district in Bihar. The operation, which culminated in Bin’s arrest at approximately 4:30 am, also resulted in the recovery of a considerable amount of cash. Authorities on the scene managed to seize Rs 10 lakh in cash from Bin’s possession at the time of his apprehension.
A dedicated team from the Dhubri police department spearheaded the operation, with Investigating Officer and Sub-inspector Mehbub Ali leading the efforts. Following the successful arrest in Bihar, the police team brought the accused back to Assam. Bin arrived at the Dhubri Sadar Police station this morning, April 7th, in compliance with the directives issued by Superintendent of Police Nabin Singh.
The alleged financial irregularities first surfaced when Chiradeep Paul, the manager of the UCO Bank’s South Salmara branch, received concerns raised by a few account holders. These customers reported inconsistencies in their deposit balances, prompting an internal review. The initial investigation revealed that Bin had purportedly siphoned off approximately Rs 8 lakh that had been deposited by customers, failing to credit the amounts to their respective accounts.
Further scrutiny of the bank’s financial records uncovered a much larger discrepancy. An estimated Rs 26 lakh was found to be missing from the bank’s own reserves, in addition to the customer deposits. This significant revelation has triggered serious concerns regarding the robustness of the internal control mechanisms and the financial protocols currently in place at the South Salmara branch of UCO Bank.
The discovery of these financial discrepancies, coupled with the subsequent disappearance of Shivshankar Prasad Bin, led Branch Manager Chiradeep Paul to promptly lodge a formal written complaint at the Dhubri Sadar police station. This action initiated the police investigation that ultimately led to the successful tracking and arrest of the accused in the neighboring state of Bihar.
Presently, the police are actively pursuing further investigations into the intricate details of the case. Their primary focus remains on fully understanding the scope of the embezzlement and making every effort to recover the entirety of the misappropriated funds. The successful apprehension of the accused in a different state underscores the commitment of the Dhubri police to diligently pursue and bring to justice individuals involved in financial crimes, regardless of their location.
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