Financial scams continue in Sikkim, several more duped

CID ASKS PEOPLE TO BE ALERT AGAINST ECONOMIC FRAUD
GANGTOK, 28 Jan: People in Sikkim continue to be drawn in by the lure of easy money and susceptible to fantastical claims of financial windfalls. While the nature of financial scams associated with non banking financial companies such as Tina Finlease and Bharosa are not heard of much nowadays, it does not mean that there are no longer similar agencies operating in the state. It’s only that the mode of operation has changed from ‘companies’ giving way to individuals who lure people. While the Reserve Bank of India and also the CID have been issuing advisories regularly to alert the public, several people have succumbed to the temptation and have been caught up by the intrigue of a slick hand.
The Crime Branch of the Sikkim Police has registered a number of complaints from individuals in the state who have lost significant amounts of money to SMS, Email and lottery scams. In such kinds of economic fraud a “prospective” client receives an SMS message on his/ her mobile phone or even over email that he was won a lottery, usually a foreign based lottery which is either in dollars or pounds. If the person bites the bait, s/he is then asked to deposit a certain amount of money in an account for transfer of the award money to India and finally into his bank account.
In one such case, a woman in Gangtok received a message informing her that she had won 1 lakh pounds of MNS lottery. When she called the number from which the message had come, a foreign-accented voice asked her to deposit Rs. 25,000 into a bank account at ICICI Bank. A few days later, she was asked to deposit another Rs. 49,000 for transfer of the money into her account. A total of Rs. 74,000 was thus deposited into the account by her.
Finally, she got a call asking her to deposit a further Rs. 2.25 lakh into the same account.
This made her suspicious and the CID was approached. Thereafter investigation by the CID with the help of ICICI bank officials traced the bank account to New Delhi. This was a joint account opened by two men by the name of Amit Pal and Parag Rastogi; their addresses were also traced by the CID as given in the bank account. CID officials from Gangtok visited the address only to find a basement instead of a company office and further a permanent address of the two acquired from the bank also led to a dead end. However what the police have done is frozen the joint account into which the money was deposited. Photographs of the two accused have been circulated by the police throughout and also put up on its portal under the Wanted list. A case has meanwhile been registered under Sections 420 and 120 B IPC.
In another case, a woman was informed through an SMS that she had won a Rs. 26 lakh lottery. When she called the number from which the SMS had been sent she was asked to deposit Rs. 99,000 in an account of a bank outside the state. The money was soon deposited and thereafter the mobile phone she had been calling kept returning switched off.
In another instance, a local boy deposited Rs. 1.78 lakh into a bank branch located in Jharkhand on being informed that he had won a lottery. The police did freeze the account but it was too late, the money had been withdrawn.
There are some fortunate enough to get their money back though. A woman from Tumin, responding to an advertisement placed in a local Nepali paper had deposited Rs. 30,000. The advertisement promised easy loans from Rs. 2 to Rs. 20 lakh. She was asked to deposit the amount in the Agra branch of the Punjab & Sind Bank. However, when she was asked for more she immediately approached the CID which froze the account of the person on the other end. Later the woman went to court which directed return of her money.
However, not all are as fortunate. As per reports, there are numerous such cases in Sikkim where people continue to be duped by the scamsters who promise easy money. The RBI itself is informed to have several complaints from individuals. Such scams are difficult to trace and it is even more difficult for the police to make arrests as the perpetrators disappear by the time people realize what is happening. In such a situation it is best to stay alert. The emails and SMSes continue to come in with amazing regularity.

Fake birth and death certificates scam unearthed

GANGTOK, 22 Jan: A big scam involving the making of fake birth and death certificates is underway in Sikkim; so much so that the Health Department, under which comes the Registrar of Births and Deaths cell which issues the official certificates, has filed a complaint with the Vigilance Directorate seeking an investigation.
The Vigilance police is presently enquiring into the matter and while no government official has been implicated so far, an arrest has already been made and incriminating evidence recovered. However, as informed, there is an apprehension that there are more people involved in different parts of the state in the making of false birth and death certificates.
In fact fake certificates seized by the police are from various places thereby giving rise to the suspicion that there are several people involved even if they are not necessarily linked to each other.
The scam was noticed by the Health Department some time back. As a matter of procedure, a birth or death certificate is issued at the Primary Health Centre level which has to then be attested by the Registrar, Births & Deaths. The scam was first sniffed when the Registrar, as per procedure and in the process of verifying a certificate, sends it to the concerned PHC.
In several such instances, the PHCs concerned are reported to have responded saying that they had no knowledge of such a certificate having been issued by them. When such cases kept piling up and the number of such dubious certificates ran into the hundreds, the department suspected something amiss and approached the Vigilance police.
Following up on the case, the police recently arrested one Dilli Ram Ruchal of Ranipool who is originally from Kalimpong. In an associated raid at his place, over 20 fake certificates, other documents, along with rubber seals of various authorities were recovered. In fact some of the rubber seals were of some school and panchayat authorities of Darjeeling and Kalimpong as well.
Apart from fake birth certificates he is also suspected of having been involved in making fake school leaving certificates and other such documents. He himself is reported to have made many fake birth certificates; however the police believe him to have been working alone.
Police investigation has been slow as people who have approached the concerned office with fake certificates for attestation have stopped returning to claim their certificates. It is likely that they have been alerted about the police intervention. Many such fake certificates are informed to be still lying at the Registrar’s office.

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.

SHRPP alleges scam at Directorate of Lotteries

GANGTOK, 16 May: Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad Party [SHRPP] claims to have unraveled a huge scam running to crores of rupees involving the Directorate of Sikkim State Lotteries under the Finance Revenue & Expenditure Department. This, according to the party, has come to light from the information furnished by the Directorate to the RTI application filed by SHRPP treasurer and advisor, SB Gurung.
Mr Gurung informed that based on the open tender notice taken out on 25 October 2000 and tender process held on 21 November 2000, the State Government appointed Martin Lottery Agencies Limited, Coimbatore as distributor for minimum of Rs 1,600 crore turnover per annum for Weekly and Bumper Schemes with denomination of rupee one each for weekly and for bumper draws as permissible under the Lottery (Regulation) Act, 1998.
He informed that a MoU was signed on 17 February 2001 and was enforced from 09 April 2001 to 8 April 2006 for 17 weekly lottery schemes and bumper draws.
Mr Gurung mentioned that as per information received from the Directorate through RTI, Martin Lottery Agencies deposited Rs 43.53 crore for the financial year 2001-02 inclusive of Government revenue, prize payment, unclaimed prize and administrative charges. However, he said that there are no records of any payment made by the distributor to the state between 2002-06 and alleged that the state must have received payments but no official records were kept.
Mr Gurung informed that he has also sought the records for the period from 2006 till this year.
Party president, Dr AD Subba stated that SHRPP has been underestimated by the ruling and opposition parties in Sikkim and added that now the time has come to show the real power of the party. Responding to media queries on the upcoming Panchayat Elections, Dr Subba expressed doubts on the State government’s intention to conduct the elections but added that the party would contest if the elections are held.
General secretary, Tara Shrestha stated that in Sikkim’s political history there have been no “movements” as such that brought in change but every time “an event” has led to change in the state, so this year too an event will give rise to change.
During the press conference, the party also introduced its new central executive members, Punya Prasad Koirala, who joined the SHRPP after resigning from CPI [M], Dr Laxuman Karki of Ranipool and Phurba Sherpa. Likewise, the party also introduced its new members Phur Tenzee Sherpa and Chandra Hang Limboo from West Sikkim.