India / ₹6 lakh withdrawn using cloned cheques from Ram temple trust's account

Fraudsters used two cloned cheques to withdraw ₹6 lakh from the bank account of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, police said on Thursday. The fraud was discovered when trust secretary Champat Rai got a verification call from the bank when a third cloned cheque of ₹9.86 lakh was placed for clearance. Initial probe suggested the involvement of bank employees.

The Hindu : Sep 10, 2020, 03:40 PM

Ayodhya: Fraudsters allegedly used cloned cheques to withdraw around ₹6 lakh from the bank account of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust in Ayodhya, which is entrusted with Ram mandir construction, and the police have launched a probe.

DSP Ayodhya Rajesh Kumar said that on September 9, around 3 p.m., general secretary of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust Champat Rai submitted an application to the police saying that around ₹6 lakh had been withdrawn from the Trust’s account through fraudulent cheques.

An FIR was lodged at Ayodhya under Sections 471, 468, 467, 420 and 419 of the Indian Penal Code.. “We are trying to investigate it deeply”, said Mr. Kumar.

The matter relates to an account in the State Bank of India branch of Nayaghat. The cheques for the account carry the signatures of Mr. Rai and and another member Anil Mishra.

Money transfer

On September 1, ₹2.25 lakh was withdrawn from the account and the money transferred to an account in Punjab National Bank (PNB), said Mr. Rai in his complaint.

On September 8, ₹3.50 lakh, was transferred again to PNB through a fake cheque with fake signature, he added.

The transactions happened even though the named slips were still found in the Trust’s cheque book, he said.