Northeast Desk, 28th June: The Sikkim Police conducted a series of raids on the residences and offices of five senior officials of the State Bank of Sikkim (SBS) in connection with a bribery investigation. The raids, which took place in and around Gangtok, Pakyong, Jorethang, and Sombaria, resulted in the seizure of a significant number of incriminating documents.
Acting on source inputs, the vigilance department of Gangtok initiated the raids, subsequently registering First Information Reports (FIRs) against the five senior officials. The officials were accused of receiving substantial bribes from various customers, facilitated through credit transactions to their respective bank accounts.
According to a press release, one of the accused officials allegedly received over one crore rupees in bribes from numerous bank customers. The modus operandi involved the accused officials directing customers to transfer bribe amounts to their bank accounts periodically.
During the raids, documents related to the acquisition of moveable and immoveable assets, along with cash in lakhs, were recovered.
The State Bank of Sikkim, established in 1969 by a proclamation from the Chogyal (the erstwhile king), operates independently of the Reserve Bank of India.
The raids are ongoing, and further details are awaited as the investigation progresses.
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