Lucknow, August 25: A special CBI court in Uttar Pradesh has sentenced three individuals, including two former bank officials, to prison for their involvement in two separate corruption cases related to farmers’ loans. The sentences range from four to five years.
The first case dates back to March 12, 2018, when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed charges against Rakesh Chandra Thakur, the then branch manager of the Baroda UP Gramin Bank in Sultanpur district. According to the CBI, a complainant alleged that Thakur demanded a bribe of ₹6,000 to release the first installment of a ₹4.25 lakh farmers’ credit card loan.
Following the complaint, the CBI set a trap and caught Thakur red-handed while accepting the bribe. After completing the investigation, the CBI filed a chargesheet on May 10, 2018, and the court framed charges on December 21, 2020. On Tuesday, the special CBI court in Lucknow sentenced Thakur to five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹25,000.
The second case was registered on August 11, 2016, involving Ravi Kumar Gupta, the former assistant manager of the Purvanchal Bank in Maharajganj district. The complainant alleged that Gupta demanded a bribe of ₹15,000 to approve a farmers’ credit card loan. The investigation revealed that Gupta accepted ₹10,000 in bribes through an intermediary named Indrajeet Singh, also known as Babu Saheb.
The CBI apprehended both accused during the bribery transaction. On Tuesday, the special CBI court in Lucknow found Gupta and Singh guilty, sentencing them to four years of rigorous imprisonment each and imposing a fine of ₹40,000 on both.
The CBI stated that substantial evidence was gathered during the investigation, which led to the court’s decision to convict the offenders.
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