1.5 cr swindled in co-op society

Atmakur (Kurnool): The secretary with the help of the clerk of the Primary Agricultural Co-operative Credit Society has reportedly swindled Rs 1.5 crore by changing the photo and name of farmers in the Aadhaar cards, according to victims of the scam.

The farmers, who received notices from the bank, were taken aback to find that they have to repay the loan amount which they had never taken.In a complaint with ample proofs of misappropriation of funds with the District Collector, the farmers said that their names and photographs were changed on the Aadhaar card to obtain loans fraudulently by the secretary, Nageswara Rao.

The farmers of Atmakur and Sripatiraopet have applied for agriculture loans. However, they were not granted loans. Secretary Nageswara Rao, who processed the applications, withdrew Rs 95,000 from the Kurnool District Cooperative Central Bank. The farmers realised only after they received repayment notices from the bank.

Victims Subbamma, Krishna Reddy, Adenna and Subhan told The Hans India that they had found out that the secretary had withdrawn Rs 4.65,000 on loans numbers 839 to 1552. It was found out that in all he had swindled Rs 1.50 crore in the names of various farmers.

It may be recalled that a criminal case was registered against the secretary last year for swindling Rs 1 crore in collusion with the former chairman of the co-operative society.

It was found that the secretary had taken loans seven times continuously in the name of a farmer, who was yet to repay the earlier loan. There are some loans which were granted to persons, who are not at all farmers.

M Sathya Peter