GANGTOK: In a significant financial scandal, three senior officials of the State Bank of Sikkim (SBS) have been accused of embezzling funds exceeding Rs 69 crore.
The crime investigation department (CID) of the Sikkim police has filed a first information report (FIR) against the implicated individuals.
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The accused officials are Dorjee Tshering Lepcha, general manager (operations); Tsewang Dorjee Lepcha, assistant manager (IT) and Tilak Rai, senior accounts assistant.
All three were stationed at the SBS head office in Gangtok, Sikkim.
The FIR alleges that they conspired to defraud the bank by misappropriating funds through multiple accounts, including one associated with a government official, and investing the illicit proceeds in various assets.
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The CID report details how the trio allegedly diverted funds and utilized them for personal gain, acquiring both immovable and movable properties.
In response, the bank has requested the CID to freeze the assets of the accused officials and their immediate family members to prevent further financial damage.
A case has been registered under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Specific charges include criminal conspiracy (IPC sections 34 and 120B), criminal breach of trust by a public servant (section 409), cheating (section 420), and falsification of accounts (section 477A), alongside relevant sections of the IT Act.