Chandigarh, February 4
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has made two more arrests in connection with the multi-crore scam at the State Bank of Patiala (now State Bank of India) in Sultanpur Lodhi. Satnam Singh and Sarabjit Singh Numberdar, both residents of Sarupwal village, have been apprehended for their involvement in the fraudulent scheme.
The scam, which involved collusion between bank officials, private individuals, and Revenue Department officers, resulted in the embezzlement of crores of rupees. The arrests stem from an FIR (No. 5, dated 09-03-2017) registered seven years ago at the Jalandhar Range VB police station under various sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act. The investigation revealed that approximately ₹3.71 crore was misappropriated through 14 loan files as of April 30, 2016.
The accused employed a modus operandi involving fictitious identities, forged land records, and fraudulent guarantor deeds to secure loans. Revenue officials facilitated the fraud by issuing falsified documents, including fards, fard-girdawaris, and free-of-encumbrance certificates. The land used to secure the loans, falsely shown as privately owned, actually belonged to the Punjab Government.
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Specifically, Satnam Singh Sarupwala used forged revenue documents to obtain an agricultural loan from the then-branch manager, Sulinder Singh. The manager, in collusion with other bank employees and a panel lawyer, approved a ₹16 lakh loan despite discrepancies in the revenue records. The loan was not recorded in the Roznamcha, and the mortgage deed bore a fake registration number. Sarabjit Singh Numberdar provided false testimony regarding this forged document.
This case involves 33 accused individuals. With these latest arrests, 28 have been apprehended, while three remain absconding. The VB is actively pursuing the remaining accused. Satnam Singh and Sarabjit Singh will be presented in court tomorrow, and the investigation is ongoing.
