BHUBANESWAR: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch on Tuesday said over 350 employees of vernacular daily Sambad and Eastern Media Limited were reportedly forced by their employers to avail loans in their names from Gramya Bank in IRC Village here.
The evidence and investigation carried out so far suggests it is a meticulously planned scam to avail loans to the tune of crores of rupees by adopting fraudulent means and coercing employees of the organisation, said the probe agency.
EOW claimed that the loans were even availed from SBI and other banks and the matter is under investigation. The agency’s initial investigation suggests most employees were asked to avail of a loan of `5 lakh each under the bank’s easy money loan scheme and their salary certificates were allegedly forged by the authorities of Sambad/Eastern Media Limited.
The loan forms were filled by someone else and employees were asked to sign on them, the investigating agency said adding, in instances, a few employees were allegedly forced to take loans twice to thrice. The organisation was repaying the loan in 60 instalments. It has been availing loans fraudulently for the last several years, said the EOW. No official reaction from Eastern Media Limited was available till the report was filed though the news daily rubbished the claims of fraud in its columns.