Cooperatives office ignores Adarsh scam: SIT submits 3800-page charge sheet in 60 days
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Ambadas Mankape, the main accused in the Rs 202 crore scam at Adarsh Credit Cooperative Society, started the fraud within a year of the society's establishment. The scam was first reported in the 2010 audit report. Over the next 11 years, four audit reports, two inquiry reports, and one test audit mentioned the scam. Mankape and other accused diverted Rs 172 crore from the society into 24 fake accounts. The deputy registrar's office ignored the reports of the scam for several years.
The SIT investigating the case has submitted a 3800-page charge sheet against 12 accused. The charge sheet includes 1 lakh pages of evidence, including audit reports, inquiry reports, and details of the fake accounts. The SIT suspects that the scam may have involved complicity from officials in the deputy registrar's office. Mankape and other accused are in judicial custody, while two accused are on the run.
Suspicion on deputy registrar’s office
The Adarsh credit cooperative society scam is a shocking case of financial mismanagement and corruption. The fact that the scam went undetected for so long raises serious questions about the functioning of the district deputy registrar cooperatives office. The SIT's investigation has brought to light the involvement of several people in the fraud. The charge sheet submitted by the SIT is expected to provide strong evidence against the accused.
Fictitious names, obtaining self-approved loans
Mankape allegedly initiated the fraudulent activities in 2004, shortly after retiring from the deputy registrar office. Adhane joined him in the scheme. The modus operandi involved opening mutual accounts under fictitious names, obtaining self-approved loans, withdrawing the funds, and transferring them through Adarsh Bank to various personal establishments.
Charge-sheet within 60 days
The charge sheet, compiled by the SIT, was submitted within 60 days. Assistant commissioner Dhananjay Patil, PI Sambhaji Pawar, and their SIT colleagues, appointed by commissioner of police Manoj Lohia, worked tirelessly to gather strong evidence.