Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The Indore district court in Madhya Pradesh has sentenced a former cashier of a cooperative bank to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh on him for embezzlement of the bank's cash worth nearly Rs 51 lakh.
Additional Sessions Judge Uttam Kumar Darvi on Monday passed the order against the accused, Narayan Singh Makwana (62), observing that "embezzlement of bank money is a crime against the general public".
After irregularities in the cooperative bank came to light in 2018, the accused fabricated a story before the investigators that he had given a part of the embezzled amount to a 'tantrik' to double it, a prosecution official said on Tuesday.
The accused's lawyer appealed to the court for minimum punishment to his client.
However, the court said if the accused is given minimum punishment, it will have an adverse effect on the society.
The court convicted the accused under Indian Penal Code Section 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant) and also imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh on him.
Special Public Prosecutor Sanjay Shukla said it was proved in the court that Makwana had embezzled cash worth Rs 50,94,176 for personal use while working as a cashier in Hatod branch of the Indore Premier Co-operative Bank.
"After irregularities in the cooperative bank came to light, the accused fabricated a story before the investigators that he had given a part of the embezzled amount in a bundle to a tantrik to double it. But, his statement was neither found factual during the investigation nor could he prove it in the court," the prosecutor said.
