Bank cashier held in Tripura cheque fraud case

Agartala: A cashier of UCO Bank’s Agartala branch has been arrested for her alleged involvement in a Rs 16 crore cheque fraud case linked to the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) that came to light 10 days ago.The accused, identified as Ramayani Shrimayi, is a resident of Nowgaon in Assam. She was taken into custody on Saturday night. While the exact nature of her involvement is still under investigation, sources said she provided technical assistance to external parties implicated in the fraudulent activities.Rana Chatterjee, the officer-in-charge of the West Agartala police station, had successfully traced online transactions and recovered Rs 7 crore of the misappropriated funds before the formation of the special investigation team. Chatterjee, who previously served with the CBI, expressed optimism that the remaining stolen amount would also be recovered and that those responsible will be caught.Although the AMC’s funds are insured by UCO Bank, the focus remains on ensuring that justice is served against the scammers. Law enforcement has characterised the fraudsters as highly skilled and sophisticated but has kept further details under wraps due to the ongoing probe.There are critical questions surrounding how the AMC cheques, meant to be securely stored, were replicated and why there were no mobile alerts triggered during the fraudulent transactions.To aid the investigation, officials have brought in a technical expert from another UCO Bank branch. This Rs 16 crore fraud marks the largest of its kind in Tripura’s banking history and has sent shockwaves throughout the state.