Who is the PNB manager arrested in the Rs 6.5 crore gold loan scam?
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Jaipur, Feb 6 (NationPress) The Rajasthan Police have taken into custody Amit Jangid, the primary suspect in the Rs 6.50 crore gold loan fraud at the Punjab National Bank (PNB) Nawalgarh branch located in the Jhunjhunu district. At the time of the scam, Jangid was functioning as the bank's manager, and he was apprehended near the Mathura railway station in Uttar Pradesh.
As per police reports, the accused even attempted to escape from their custody; however, a police team successfully pursued and captured him before he could get away.
The fraudulent activity came to light on February 3, leading to the registration of an FIR against Amit Jangid, another official Santosh Kumar Saini, and Deputy Manager Anantprakash Chaudhary. Authorities have also detained Santosh Saini. Initial investigations suggest that the scam was perpetrated through the collusion of Jangid and Saini. Following the exposure of the fraudulent scheme, Amit Jangid went into hiding.
On February 5, his spouse lodged a missing person report, indicating that he had vanished after the incident.
The current branch manager, Mukesh Sihag, noted in his complaint that gold pledged for loans was kept in the bank’s secure gold vault.
On January 28, during the transition of responsibilities for the gold strong room to Deputy Manager Seema Mahla, irregularities were uncovered.
Previously, the two keys for the strong room were held by the then manager Amit Jangid and Deputy Manager Anantprakash Chaudhary.
During the verification, bank officials found evidence of tampering with gold packets, triggering an internal investigation.
The investigation uncovered that genuine gold jewelry from 73 packets had been swapped with counterfeit items. Additionally, the jewelry weight in three packets was significantly lower than expected.
According to the bank's evaluation, approximately 4.198 kilograms of gold jewelry, valued at around Rs 6.50 crore, was unaccounted for in the strong room.
The police are continuing their investigation to clarify the specific involvement of each suspect and to locate the missing gold. Further arrests may occur as the inquiry advances.