COIMBATORE: AT a time when bank scams are being revealed one by one, it has been alleged that transactions amounting to crores of rupees were made at the branch of a nationalised bank in Neelambur, Coimbatore district, through the accounts of illiterate people, without their knowledge.
The credits and debits are shown as ‘done’ by the account holders themselves. All the transactions have taken place from 2017. For instance, the account (No: 1326101017348) of R Durgadevi, a member of a women’s self-help group, was credited Rs 40 lakh by the Sri Neeliamman women’s self-help group on December 29, 2017, and the amount was debited under the same name on January 2, 2018. There are several such transactions, each involving lakhs of rupees, in her account.
Two transactions amounting to Rs 90 lakh were made through another account number 355722500018, in the name of Saradha, who belongs to the same self-help group, between December 29 and April 4. Her passbook shows that these amounts were also credited by Sri Neeliamman women’s self-help group; the money was re-transferred to its account in a few days. However, the women came to know of the transactions only when they got their passbooks printed recently.
Suspicions roused, the women told a social activist from Neelambur, K Ramamoorthy, about it recently. A surprised Ramamoorthy sent a petition seeking a clarification about the transactions from the Assistant Manager of Canara Bank, Neelambur, on May 10. However, he has received no response from the bank till now, said Ramamoorthy.
“With the all the records, I have sent a letter to the Central Bureau of Investigation and Reserve Bank of India for an inquiry into the transactions,” he added.Members of around 70 women’s self-help groups are maintaining account in this bank.When Express asked a senior officer of the district lead bank and the same branch for his reaction, he said he had no knowledge about it. He would however look into the matter, the official added.