UP: CBI courts sentences 2 ex-bank officials for taking bribes in farmer loans

Lucknow, Aug 25 (IANS) In two separate farmer loan-related bribe cases, Special CBI Courts in Lucknow on Tuesday sentenced three convicts, including two bank officials, to varying jail terms of up to five years, an official said.

The first case was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on March 12, 2018, against Rakesh Chandra Thakur, the then Branch Manager of Baroda UP Gramin Bank’s Hariharpur Branch in Sultanpur.

A complainant alleged that Thakur demanded an illegal gratification of Rs 6,000 from the complainant for disbursing the first instalment of his Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loan of Rs 4.25 lakh, the CBI said.

The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused Thakur red-handed while demanding and accepting an illegal gratification of Rs 6,000 from the complainant.

After completion of investigation, the CBI filed a charge sheet on May 10, 2018, and charges were framed on December 21, 2020, against Thakur.

On Tuesday, Special CBI Judge of Anti-Corruption Court in Lucknow sentenced Thakur to a rigorous imprisonment for five years with a fine of Rs 25,000, a statement said.

The second case was registered by the CBI on August 11, 2016, against Ravi Kumar Gupta, the then Assistant Manager of Purvanchal Bank’s Partawal Bazar Branch in Maharajganj, based on a complaint alleging that he demanded an illegal gratification of Rs 15,000 from the complainant for processing his KCC loan.

Gupta accepted an illegal gratification of Rs 10,000 from the complainant through a private person, Indrajeet Singh alias Babu Saheb.

Both the accused were caught red-handed by the CBI, the statement said.

On Tuesday, the Special CBI Judge in Lucknow sentenced Gupta and Indrajeet to rigorous imprisonment for four years with a fine of Rs 40,000 each, the statement added.

–IANS

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