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Usha Devi, Bibi Ashmani and many others mostly poor rural women folks who were depositors at Srijan Mahia bank and were disappointed that there all hard earning money were siphoned off during the scam.

Such investors with Srijan Mahila bank who mostly are poor and from rural back grounds now have good news as Bhagalpur district administration has found some solution for to solve their problems.

Bhagalpur district administration which already under the pressure for embezzlement of huge amount of government amounts in the tune of more than Rs 1300 crores, also facing another pressure from the Srijan Mahila bank depositors. Over more than seven thousand, mostly from poor rural backgrounds, the women depositors who either in the names of different SHGs or directly deposited amounts in Srijan bank. But with expose of the money transfer game by Srijan, they virtually lost hopes to recover their amounts.

According to an official source, Bhagalpur district administration finally has some solution to the problems of the Srijan’s women depositors. During the high-level seminar on economic offence which was organized here on November 9 under the coordination of economic offence unit (EOU), Bihar and participated by top ranking officials from 9 eastern Bihar districts, the solution was found, he said.

“We came to know many facts including the possible solution of how to get back  the money of Srijan’s women depositors. From the discussions on different economic offences during the seminar here on yesterday, the solution was found” the officer pointed out. According to him, any such individual depositor could return back her amounts from Srijan Mahila bank after registering a FIR against Srijan in concerned PS.

“But it is very important to acknowledge that police of the concern PS should registered such cases under Bihar protection of interest of depositor (BPID) (in financial establishment)  act  2002,” the officer pointed out.

Senior superintendent of police, Bhagalpur, Manoj Kumar said that there was an amendment in the act on 2017 which now empowers an inspector level officer to investigate such cases. He said that under such act, the prohibition of punishment for siphoning   fraudulently investor’s money is clearly mentioned besides recovery of lost money of the victim while attaching properties of the concerned organization/company. But FIR should be constituted against the board of director/ office bearers of the organization/company. “We will circulate the instructions to all the concerned PS so that FIR by any such depositors could be incorporated by the act,” Kumar said adding that earlier  one FIR  that was registered with Sabour PS by some depositors against Srijan’s office bearers would be added by the BPID act.

Biswajeet Dayal, Dy. SP, EOU who was here yesterday to conduct the seminar told that the investigation officer (IO) of such cases after institute of the FIR, should mentioned the board of director in the dairy  along with specific information related to other victims (whose money siphoned off by the company/ organization) should be mentioned. This is very important and essential in such cases so that after completing of the investigation, concerned district magistrate should be requested for attaching the properties of the accused persons or the company/ organization to recover the lost amount of such depositors, Dayal pointed out. It also helps to conduct occasion of the properties of the accused to recover the lost money of depositors, he added further.

The district administration already gear up for locating the bank accounts and other assets of all the office bearers of Srijan Mahila Vikash Sahyog Samiti. A source said that recently district magistrate, Bhagalpur, Adesh Titarmare expressed his concerned over the delay in finding out the bank accounts if any in any bank here.

Even investigating agencies so far conduct enquiries in Srijan affairs, failed to have trace out any account of the office bearers of Srijan, mainly president, Subhalakshmi Prasad, former secretary, Late Monorama Devi, present secretary Priya Kumar and  members like Sima Devi, Aparna Verma, Rajrani Verma, Rubi Kumari, Jasima Khatun including nominated members like Rani Devi, Sunita Devi and Juna Devi.

Earlier in August 2017,  the EOU had freeze some accounts related to suspected accused in the scam, but did not find any such account of the managing committee members. District magistrate, Bhagalpur, Adesh Titarmare earlier on August 31 had ordered for freezing of  individual  accounts of the managing committee members. Titarmare even in his letter to 236 branches of 28 banks in Bhagalpur district sought the details of such accounts of the managing committee members if any.

“Finding of such accounts would be the ideal for recovery of money and subsequently return back the money to the depositors,” a sources said here. SIT which conducted the investigation managed to locate some accounts of Late Monorama Devi, founder of Srijan besides some properties. It also managed to locate some properties of the accused persons who are presently locked inside the jail in Srijan scam connections.

“But even after accumulated all the properties and amounts of the accused persons it will not possible to compensate the loss. So the properties of all the office bearers including the close family members of Late Monorama Devi should attached immediately at least to clear the amounts of Srijan’s poor women depositors,” observers pointed out.