Probe after bid to defraud bizman of Rs 31 crore

Dhanbad: Police have lodged an FIR and begun a probe in connection with an alleged fraudulent withdrawal attempt of more than Rs 31 crore from the bank account of businessman Mahesh Pradhan. The matter came to light after the bank detected irregularities and alerted the account holder.

According to the complaint, the bank account of his firm maintained at a private bank, was inactive and closed for a long period. On April 2, he received information that two high-value cheques had been presented for clearance through a public sector bank of over 31 crore.

Pradhan stated that he had never issued such cheques. After verifying the cheque book, he found that two leaves were missing. He alleged that unknown persons had stolen the cheques and deposited them in the bank using forged signatures. However, the transaction could not be completed as the account was already closed and the signatures did not match the bank records.

Two days ago, Dhanbad police lodged an FIR based on a preliminary complaint from the victim on April 2, officials said on Wednesday.

Officer Manoj Pandey said that after a preliminary probe, they converted the complaint into an FIR now. “Efforts are underway to identify and arrest those involved in the attempted financial fraud,” he said.