Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam Police arrested Siraj Ali on September 1. Ali, the former president of the Rani Bholagaon Gaon Panchayat Cooperative Society, faces charges of massive financial irregularities in the Palashbari circle of Kamrup district. He is currently held at the North Guwahati Police Station.
Depositors claim they cannot withdraw funds from their matured savings accounts. They stopped receiving returns in June 2023. Angry customers staged repeated protests at the society office, demanding their cash back. They eventually filed an FIR at the Palashbari Police Station and sent a written complaint to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Collection agents acting as middlemen are now under fire. During a press conference at Khatiamari, these agents insisted they handed over every rupee to the institution. They believe the debt is far greater than Ali previously admitted. One agent noted, "The amount involved was significantly higher than what had previously been informed by president Ali." While Ali once claimed the debt stood at 1.30 crore rupees, agents now estimate the total missing money at 4.09 crore rupees.
Ali resigned from his post as the local panchayat president after the scandal broke. He handed his duties to a successor, but customers say that move failed to secure their savings. Police continue to investigate the missing millions.
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