The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has taken legal action against seven individuals accused of fraudulently obtaining an agricultural credit limit of Rs. 40 lakh. Among the suspects, three have been apprehended while the investigation into the case remains ongoing, as disclosed by a VB spokesperson.
The case has been registered against Navdeep Singh of Kohar Singh Wala village, Tehsil Guruharshai, District Ferozepur; Vinod Kumar and Amarjit Singh, both revenue Patwaris of Halka Bahadur Ke, Tehsil Guruharshai, District Ferozepur; Joginder Singh alias Bittu, a private accomplice of the Patwaris; Parminder Singh, A.S.M. Fard Kendra Guruharshai; Kulwinder Singh, Relationship Manager at HDFC Bank, Branch Guruharshai; and Guarantor Davinder Singh from Kohar Singh Wala village, District Ferozepur.
Joginder Singh alias Bittu, Amarjit Singh Patwari, and Davinder Singh have been arrested in connection with the case. The allegations stem from an investigation into complaint number 89/19 of Ferozepur. It was revealed during the probe that Navdeep Singh, Vinod Kumar Patwari, Joginder Singh alias Bittu, and Parminder Singh A.S.M. colluded to fabricate fake land ownership documents, leading to Navdeep Singh securing a credit limit of Rs. 40 lakh from HDFC bank in 2016.
Subsequently, upon discovery of the scam in 2019, the accused returned the entire amount obtained from the bank. Another incident involves Navdeep Singh’s attempt to secure a loan from Canara Bank Faridkot in 2016, where he omitted the Khasra numbers of land already pledged with HDFC bank, resulting in the Canara bank rejecting the loan application.
Joginder Singh alias Bittu also attempted to obtain a credit limit of Rs. 32 lakh from Axis Bank Jalalabad, District Fazilka, using forged land documents, which were detected during physical verification by the bank.
The spokesperson further revealed that despite knowledge of the forgery, Vinod Kumar Patwari and Amarjit Singh Patwari failed to take action against the perpetrators. Instead, they prepared a report affirming the accuracy of the fake documents.
The accused Kulwinder Singh and guarantor Davinder Singh are implicated for their roles in facilitating the fraudulent credit limit acquisition process.
A case has been registered against all seven accused under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code at VB Police Station Ferozepur Range. Efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining suspects.