Bank manager steals coins worth Rs 84 lakh to buy lottery tickets in Bengal
Midnapore, Dec 16: No one would have slotted him as a thief or an embezzler; after all, Tarak Jaiswal had an unblemished record in the eight years he worked at the State Bank of India, the country’s biggest lender.
But Jaiswal, 35, a senior assistant manager at the bank’s branch in Memari, a town 82 km from Kolkata, in West Bengal’s East Burdwan district, had an itch -- gambling. And his position, as custodian of the currency chest, made it possible for him to scratch it. Over the 17 months he spent at the branch, he stole Rs 84 lakh -- all in coins.
Even assuming all the coins were the highest denomination publicly circulated, Rs 10, that would mean he spirited away 84,00,000 coins in the span of 17 months, or close to 50,000 coins every month, or 2,000 coins every day (assuming 25 working days).
But crime doesn’t pay -- not even in coins. He was arrested on Friday and confessed soon after; his undoing was an annual audit that began on November 27. On Saturday, a local court sent him to police custody for five days.
It turns out that Jaiswal took the risk to fund his addiction to lotteries.
“Jaiswal confessed to his crime and claimed that he spent the entire money on lottery tickets. We are trying to find out if he had an accomplice,” Bhaskar Mukherjee, superintendent of police, East Burdwan district, said.
The auditors found a huge quantity of currency notes and coins in the bank’s vault and asked officials to count the coins on November 29. Sensing that his game was up, Jaiswal stopped coming to office without applying for leave. The auditors detected a huge mismatch in the stock of coins.
Since Jaiswal handled all the cash at the end of each working day and was in charge of the currency chest, he became the prime suspect. When the auditors demanded his presence at the branch, Jaiswal sent his wife with the keys to the chest.
Tarun Kumar Saha, regional manager of the bank, lodged a complaint at Memari police station. “We filed a complaint when we found a huge amount of coins missing,” Saha said.
On Friday, Soubanik Mukherjee, a sub-divisional police officer, went to the bank and asked the branch manager to summon Jaiswal. After hours of grilling, the executive broke down.
“He said during interrogation that he always knew he would be caught someday but could not stop himself from buying lottery tickets. He also claimed that nobody in the bank helped him,” a police officer involved in the probe said on condition of anonymity.
The officer said the investigators are trying to figure out how Jaiswal transported the coins out of the bank.
Police have also asked the bank why it kept such huge amounts in coins.
The last audit at the branch was conducted in February 2017. “We will ask the branch to explain why such a huge quantity of coins was not sent to the regional office or the Reserve Bank of India. Jaiswal might have stolen currency notes as well since there was no one to check him,” the police officer added.
Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
