Navodaya Bank loan fraud: Ashok Dhawad surrenders before MPID court
| Date :05-Nov-2019 |
Former MLA Ashok Dhawad on to the court with his lawyer on Monday. (Pic by Satish Raut)
Staff Reporter :
Former MLA Ashok Dhawad, on Monday, surrendered before special Maharashstra Protection of Interest of Depositors (MPID) court in connection with Rs 38.75 crore loan fraud of Navodaya Urban Co-operative Bank Limited. Soon after, he was arrested by the Economic Offence Wing (EOW). He will be produced in the court on Tuesday by EoW for police custody remand. A senior official of EoW said that they would interrogate Dhawad over his alleged involvement in the loan fraud case. It may be mentioned that Dhantoli Police had booked former Board of Directors (BoDs), office-bearers, officers and a few ‘selected’ borrowers of Navodaya Urban Co-operative Bank Limited in the infamous Rs 38.75 crore loan fraud on May 16. Shrikant S Supe, District Special Auditor (Class I) Co-operative Societies, Bhandara, lodged a complaint that former Board of Directors, office-bearers, and officers sanctioned loans to some persons without valid requirement between 2010 and 2017.
They also returned the original documents of the properties mortgaged with the bank and no objection certificates to those who had not made the repayment of the loan. While disbursing loans to some parties, they prepared fake registration documents and showed them on record as genuine. The bank sanctioned loans to some persons despite being fully aware that their properties were in dispute. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had cancelled the licence of the bank on October 8, 2018 as it had no adequate capital and earning prospects and did not comply with the provisions of Section 11(1) and Section 22 (3) (d), read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. The RBI, in its order, had categorically stated that the bank failed to comply with the requirements of Section 22(3) (a), 22 (3) (b), 22(3)(c), 22(3) (d) and 22(3)(e) read with Section 56 of the Act and its continuance was prejudicial to the interests of its depositors. The order also stated that the bank with its present financial position would be unable to pay its present depositors in full; and public interest would be adversely affected if it was allowed to carry on its banking business any further.
Consequent to the cancellation of its licence, the bank was prohibited from conducting the business, including acceptance of deposits and repayment of deposits as defined in Section 5(b) read with Section 56 of the Act with immediate effect. Despite RBI moratorium, the Board of Directors and office-bearers of the bank continued illegal business. Moreover, the Board of Directors and office-bearers tampered with the computer records using the names of employees who had resigned from the bank. Likewise, they defrauded the genuine investors to the tune of Rs 38.75 crore. On the basis of the complaint, police registered an offence under Sections 406, 409, 420, 120(b), 465, 467, 468, 471, 477 (a) of the Indian Penal Code, read with Section 3 of Maharashtra Protection of Interest of Depositors Act and Sections 65, 66 (b) of Information Technology Act, against the former Board of Directors, office-bearers and some borrowers.