Another bank fraud in Gangtok

SNS, Gangtok, 19 June 2014: A shop owner of Middle Sichey was cheated of Rs 5 lakh by an unknown person who stole an account payee cheque from the shop and encased it in another bank outside Sikkim.

The proprietor of the Himalayan Hardware, Bed Maya, lodged a complaint at the Sadar Police Station against Mr Sailesh Kishore Bhai Panchal, the proprietor of Jay Amba Trading Corp Ltd in Gangtok.

According to the police, the complainant had received an SMS on 16 June, saying that a sum of Rs 5 lakh has been debited from her account.

She later enquired with the Gangtok branch of the private bank where she held the account and found that the cheque issued to her by the bank was presented in another private bank in Sangrampur and debited in the name of Jay Amba Trading Company, Surat, Gujarat. 

A criminal case has been registered under section 380, 420 and 34 of Indian Penal Code at the Sadar police station and it is under investigation, police said. Meanwhile, Sikkim police has advised everyone to keep their cheque books/ATM cards and other bank documents in safe custody.