
BALURGHAT, May 30 -- Bikash Jaiswal, the owner of a Customer Service Point (CSP) affiliated with a nationalised bank, was arrested in Raiganj for allegedly embezzling funds meant for beneficiaries under the Banglar Bari housing scheme. Police nabbed Jaiswal from a relative's house where he had been hiding after a formal complaint was filed at Harirampur Police Station.
The allegations against him surfaced on May 22 when several beneficiaries accused him of misusing their biometric data to withdraw the first installment of their housing funds without consent. As a result, many were unable to begin construction of their homes due to lack of funds.
Following the arrest, Bikash Jaiswal was produced before the Gangarampur Sub-Divisional Court, where he was remanded to three days in police custody. Police have already begun interrogating him to determine how many beneficiaries were affected and whether others were involved in the fraud.
Two more victims, Sajedur Rahman and Amal Modi, filed complaints after hearing of the arrest, bringing the total number of formal complaints to seven. All allege that their fingerprints were used to fraudulently withdraw funds.
Dipanjan Bhattacharya, SDPO of Gangarampur, confirmed that the investigation is ongoing to uncover the full extent of the scam. Concerned over the incident, District Magistrate Bijin Krishna stated: "The government has provided funds to beneficiaries and we are investigating the complaints seriously."
Nasar Imam, branch manager of the concerned bank, mentioned: "We received complaints two months ago and have since shut down the CSP. Customers can now transact directly at the branch. The CSP agency is responsible for returning the misappropriated funds as per regulations."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.