A Special CBI Court in Lucknow has handed down an 8-year Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) term to four individuals involved in a Rs 6.75 crore bank fraud in Uttar Pradesh. The convicted individuals, namely Ramji Mishra, Shyamji Mishra, Akhilesh Kumar Mishra, and Manishi Pandey, who are private persons, were also fined Rs 70 lakh each.
Additionally, the court found two private companies, Manishi Enterprises in Varanasi and Mirzapur Carpets, guilty in the case. Both companies were collectively fined Rs 2 crore. The case dates back to 2001 when the CBI initiated proceedings against S. N. Verma, the then Branch Manager of Central Bank of India in Mirzapur, and others.
The investigation revealed that Mirzapur Carpets had obtained credit facilities from the bank’s Mirzapur Branch in 1996 using forged documents. During the alleged offense, Ramji Mishra served as the Managing Director of the company, with Shyamji Mishra and Akhilesh Kumar Mishra as Directors, according to the CBI.
Following the probe, the CBI filed charges against seven accused and two firms in 2004. The accused were charged with causing a wrongful loss of Rs 6.75 crore to the bank through forged bills. The Special CBI Court convicted and sentenced the accused after the trial, while acquitting Verma and Yadunath Dubey of all charges due to lack of evidence of criminal conspiracy on their part.
