SBI Rs 6.88 Cr Scam: EOW nabs middleman from Cuttack

Bhubaneswar: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Police has arrested one Pradipta Kumar Lenka from Cuttack in connection with a major bank fraud case involving the alleged siphoning of Rs 6.88 crore through loans from State Bank Of India (SBI) branches.

As per investigation, Lenka acted as a middleman, he allegedly prepared and facilitated fake documents, including salary certificates, employment details, bank statements, and KYC papers. After the loans were disbursed, most borrowers stopped paying EMIs, causing the accounts to turn into Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) with an outstanding amount of Rs 6,88,29,323.

EOW found evidence of diversion of Rs 3.23 lakh from loan accounts directly to Lenka’s bank account, indicating he received financial benefits for his role in the racket. One mobile and important documents suspected of containing incriminating evidence was seized from him.

Earlier, Smruti Ranjan Mohanty, Baishakhi Saha, Charubala Dandasena, and Sarita Paikaray — have already been arrested in the case and are currently in judicial custody.