The Directorate of Enforcement has taken legal action against a former branch head of Assam Gramin Vikash Bank and another individual for their alleged involvement in a bank fraud and money laundering case amounting to Rs 7.28 crore in Assam. The prosecution complaint was filed in Guwahati before the Special Court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act cases against Dibyajyoti Kalita, the ex-Branch Head of Assam Gramin Vikash Bank’s Lahorijan branch, and Birbahu Brahma from Goalpara district. The case is related to violations under Sections 44(1)(b) and 45(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.
The investigation was initiated based on an FIR lodged at Khatkhati Police Station in Karbi Anglong under Sections 420 and 409 of the Indian Penal Code, later taken over by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Anti-Corruption Branch, Shillong. Subsequently, the CBI filed a chargesheet on April 29, 2024, including additional charges under Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, against the accused. Allegedly, between December 2020 and April 2021, Kalita misappropriated Rs 7.28 crore from the Assam Gramin Vikash Bank Lahorijan branch through unauthorized transactions.
The funds were reportedly moved through fictitious customer accounts, self-help group and society accounts, as well as fabricated term deposits and loans against deposits. The money was then funneled into the personal account of the main accused, his wife’s account, a tea-business partnership concern, and various surrogate accounts in the names of associates of the second accused. Searches at the accused’s residences in November 2024 yielded incriminating documents, investment details, property papers, third-party cheque books, and a RuPay debit card linked to the principal accused. The investigation into the matter is ongoing.
