Suspected scamster fishes in Uttarakhand using SBS as bait

SILIGURI BUSINESSMAN FAKES SBS BANK GUARANTEE TO BID FOR CONTRACT IN UTTARAKHAND

VISHNU NEOPANEY
GANGTOK, 10 July: The Criminal Investigation Department of Sikkim Police has registered a case of forgery, cheating and fabrication of documents against M/s Shree Balajee Water & Power Engineer’s PVT Ltd, a company registered in Srinagar in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand by a businessman from Siliguri. The case was registered late last evening following a complaint filed by the General Manager of State Bank of Sikkim. The company, bidding for a contract work in Uttarakhand, had allegedly forged documents to make it appear that it had the backing of SBS.
The company was seeking contract work from Uttarakhand Peyjel Nigam [Drinking Water Corporation] for construction of a Sewerage Treatment Plant there.
The Managing Director of Shree Balajee Water and Power Engineer’s Pvt Ltd had allegedly forged the State Bank of Sikkim’s letter-pad, seal and signature of the General Manager and submitted it to Uttarakhand Peyjel Nigam claiming that the SBS was sitting guarantor for the company to the tune of Rs.3.61crore.
The letter claimed that SBS was ready to release Rs.36 lakh as initial investment for the said contract work. The MD of the said company, as mentioned, is believed to hail from Siliguri, West Bengal.
The office of the Project Manager, Construction and Maintenance Unit [Ganga], Uttarakhand Peyjel Nigam, Srinagar [Pauri Garhwal], on 26 June wrote to the General Manager, State Bank of Sikkim for cross verification and factual position of the firm, details of its bank statement [submitted by it] and its arrangement with SBS.
Upon receiving the letter from Uttarakhand Peyjel Nigam along with the copy of the said Bank Guarantor letter, SBS clarified that the letter and account details presented in the name of the firm and the signature in the Bank Guarantor’s letter were forged.
The State Bank of Sikkim upon cross verification of the account, the accused MD has a personal savings account in SBS, discovered that it had a balance of Rs.4,000 and had been opened recently. It was obvious by then that a scam was being attempted with an attempt to even implicate SBS.
In an FIR lodged by General Manager-I of State Bank of Sikkim, Gangtok, it is stated that the Bank has not issued any such Guarantor Letter in favour of M/s Shree Balajee Water and Power Engineer’s Pvt Ltd adding that the signature on the documents, seals and letter pad are also forged and fabricated.
On the basis of the FIR, the CID has registered a case under section 471/468/420/120 ‘B’ of the Indian Penal Code [using as genuine a forged document, forgery for the purpose of cheating, cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property and punishment of criminal conspiracy] and the case is under investigation.