The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Odisha Police successfully arrested Ajmir Mondal, a notorious habitual economic offender, in connection with a massive Rs9 crore bank fraud. Mondal was apprehended in Howrah, West Bengal, and was presented before a local court before being brought to Bhubaneswar on transit remand.
The fraud case was brought to light after Sujata Kanungo, the Chief Manager of Bank of India, Baripada, filed a complaint against Mondal. According to the police, the fraud occurred in April 2024, when the fraudster used forged and cloned cheques to illegally transfer a total of Rs9,56,76,600 from the District Mineral Foundation Trust account of Zilla Parishad, Mayurbhanj, which was maintained with Bank of India, Baripada branch.
The fraudulent transactions involved the creation of four fake cheques, which were presented to the bank for processing. The amount was split and transferred to two different accounts: PT Constructions & Supplier (maintained with Bank of Maharashtra) and S K Enterprises (maintained with Punjab & Sind Bank).
The stolen funds were further funneled to various other accounts linked to these entities. However, the EOW was able to block Rs5.04 crore and identified Rs13.56 lakh spread across 33 different accounts. Police investigations revealed that Ajmir Mondal was the owner and signatory authority of S K Enterprises, which received over Rs1.84 crore in illicit transfers.
Mondal has been charged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, including cheating, forgery, impersonation, and criminal conspiracy. The police are continuing their investigation into the case and tracking the movement of the remaining illegally transferred funds.
This arrest comes as part of a broader crackdown on economic offences in the region, with authorities working diligently to recover stolen assets and dismantle fraudulent networks.
