3 held in cheque tampering scam
Sandeep Uppal, a resident of Solan, fell victim to a cheque fraud involving Rs 2.70 lakh. On July 29, he issued a cheque in favour of M/s Asian Paints Limited and dropped it in the Punjab National Bank's (PNB) Solan branch drop box. However, miscreants tampered with the cheque, altering the payee's name and account details, and deposited it in a fraudulent account.
Despite Uppal's repeated inquiries, the bank initially assured him that the cheque was processed through RTGS. However, three days later, it was discovered that the cheque had been modified and the amount transferred to the account of Gurdita Singh instead of Asian Paints. Uppal lodged a complaint, and the Solan police registered a case under Sections 318(2) and 338 BNS for fraud.
Further investigations revealed that Rs 50,000 from Gurdita's account was transferred to another account belonging to Honey Kumar. The police identified the culprits, who had a history of similar crimes in Punjab's Jalandhar area. A police team arrested Deepak Thakur (38) and Honey Kumar (37), both residents of Jammu, and Arun Kumar (29) from Kapurthala.
The police also highlighted negligence on the part of the bank staff, who failed to detect the tampering despite CCTV evidence showing unauthorised access to the drop box. Solan SP Gaurav Singh confirmed that action has been recommended against the negligent officials.
The case serves as a stark reminder of the need for enhanced security measures and vigilance in handling sensitive banking documents.
Man held for Rs 35L fraud
Nahan: A major case of fraud came to light in Paonta Sahib after a complainant alleged that Gurmeet Singh, a resident of Ludhiana, issued bank cheques amounting to Rs 35 lakh in exchange for a financial transaction to him. However, when the complainant attempted to cash the cheques, he was informed by bank officials that Gurmeet’s account had been closed before the date on which the cheque was issued.
The case was registered at the Paonta Sahib police station, and during the investigation, Gurmeet was arrested. The Paonta Sahib police obtained a four-day police remand for further questioning. Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Aditi Singh confirmed the arrest and provided details regarding the investigation.
In a shocking development during the investigation, more than 20 others from Paonta Sahib came forward with similar complaints against Gurmeet, alleging that they, too, were deceived by him. Further investigations are underway to uncover the full extent of the scam. The police have urged anyone who may have fallen victim to similar fraudulent activities involving Gurmeet to come forward and file their complaints.
