Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Aug 5: A complaint has been filed with Bajpe police station in Mangaluru against Dinesh Hegde, the former manager of Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank’s Kateel branch, accusing him of defrauding the bank of Rs 90.19 lac.
The complaint alleges that Hegde, who served as branch manager from May 25, 2021, to May 13, 2024, abused his position by pledging fake gold ornaments, forging signatures, and securing loans for personal use.
Vijay Ashok Dotihaal, the bank’s regional manager, detailed in the complaint that Hegde created false records and committed a breach of trust and fraud against the bank and its customers.
The fraudulent activities came to light when Suma Suvarna, a customer, sought an additional loan against her previously pledged gold on June 18. Upon inspection, the current branch manager discovered that the gold in the bank's locker was fake. This led to a thorough investigation, revealing that 30 loan accounts were tied to fake gold ornaments.
Hegde allegedly approved loans for four accounts without proper documentation. He had pledged genuine gold ornaments, which he later replaced with fakes, and subsequently secured loans by pledging the fake gold at the Mangaluru branch of Manappuram Finance. He then retrieved the pledged gold on July 18, 2024.
Further investigations revealed that Hegde committed similar frauds using the names of deceased customers Lakshmi and Nishchala, as well as living customers Anasuya and Leela. He also defrauded bank employees working on a contract basis, including Harinaksi and Shilpa, and other customers like Geetha, Usha, Suma Suvarna, and Dheeraj A P, by misleading them into giving him their gold under the pretense of needing money and promising redemption later.
In addition, Hegde used his wife Shreya’s name and his friend Ravindra Anant Nayak’s name to take out loans for personal use. He forged the signatures of the bank’s appraisers and pledged fake gold ornaments to obtain loans. These fraudulent activities were confirmed during the preliminary investigation conducted by Dotihaal and senior bank officials.