Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Vigilance on Thursday arrested a live-in couple for their alleged role in a Rs. 1.08 crore embezzlement of government funds from Koraput Central Co-operative (KCC) Bank in Malkangiri.
Sushree Nibedita Tarai and her live-in partner Nrusingh Prasad Khamari were nabbed on Thursday after the arrest of Branch Manager of KCC Bank, Malkangiri on May 5. They are believed to be close accomplices of Branch Manager Sudhansu Khora.
Investigations have revealed that Khora transferred nearly Rs 63 lakh of the misappropriated funds to Tarai and Khamari as part of a deliberate conspiracy to conceal the trail of the embezzled money.
According to officials, Khora first connected with Tarai, also known by the profile name Sushree Sulagna, via Facebook. The two allegedly devised a plan together to siphon off bank funds. Khamari has reportedly been in a long-term live-in relationship with Tarai.
Parallel probes and interrogations indicate that Tarai and Khamari are seasoned fraudsters involved in cheating several individuals across multiple locations. A case involving a Rs. 14 lakh fraud has reportedly been registered against Khamari with the Bangalore Police Commissionerate. The duo is also suspected in a Rs 30 lakh fraud in Jagatsinghpur, with similar incidents likely in Baripada, Paradip, and Bhubaneswar.
Vigilance teams are scrutinising 25 bank accounts belonging to the duo across various banks, along with 12 stock trading accounts, to trace the full money trail and uncover additional frauds.
Searches conducted at their properties in Bhubaneswar and Khurda led to the recovery and seizure of significant assets and evidence, including 33 mobile phones, of which 27 were deliberately damaged after the commission of crimes in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence, one desktop computer and a tablet, jewellery allegedly purchased using proceeds from the embezzled funds, a drone and high-end cameras.
Vigilance officials suspect that Sudhansu Khora and Sushree Nibedita Tarai were operating a crime syndicate aimed at systematically cheating people. The investigation into the full extent of their activities is underway.