INSIDENE EXCLUSIVE-MEGA HOUSING LOAN SCAM OF LICHFL AGAINST GOVT FORGED PAPERS

An alleged fake home loan of 7 Lakhs issued unscrupulously by LICHFL (Life Insurance Cooperation Housing Finance Limited) Jorhat branch office of LIC to one Prasanta Dutta of Sivsagar against a forged certificate shown issued by the Sivsagar based Deputy Registrar Office of the State Government has created sensation. The revelation came after INSIDENE was tip-offed of the alleged nexus of issuing loans over fake documents and in the name of mortgage. And the center of the activity is the Jorhat branch which has a territorial jurisdiction up till Tinsukia to issue home loans.

In-depth investigation into the nexus has revealed that one Ajoy Bhuyan of Amguri in Sivsagar district had purchased a plot of land from seller Budhin Baruah and had subsequently applied for a housing loan from LICHFL. When the processing of the documents started, the loan department asked Ajoy Bhuyan to furnish the original sale deed (SI.No.1843 Deed No 1229) dated 27/12/2006 as an instrument of mortgage. But owing to the backlog of recording sale deeds at the Deputy Registrar Office, Sivsagar, Ajoy Bhuyan was issued a certified copy vide office order No SVR.59/DY.R/Non-Completion Certificate/2017/17 Dated Sivsagar the 22^nd March 2018 which cited non completion of the recordings works and with a note that the same will be delivered to the party concern as soon as the recording works is completed and hence the certified copy issued maybe treated as true copy for the same.

Ajoy Bhuyan deposited the certified copy at LICHFL Jorhat where Business Associate Jaffar Immam rejected it and instead gave a copy of another loan applicant Prasanta Dutta of Demow, Sivsagar and instructed to get a copy in that format. Once again Ajoy Bhuyan took the copy to the Deputy Registrar Sivsagar with an appeal to issue a ditto format. However, officials immediately identified the document as a forged document and after tallying with office records gave a copy of Prasanta Dutta’s certified copy issued vide Office order No SVR.59/DY.R/Non-Completion Certificate/2017/156 Dated Sivsagar the 19/01/ 2018.

But ironically, before the fraud could come to the light, LICHFL had already processed Prasanta Dutta’s loan application and sent it to LIC Kolkatta Office. Business Manager Bipul Goswami informed INSIDENE,” The loan got sanctioned and was waiting disbursal into Prasanta Dutta’s account. We never took the document to be forged as it had government seal and signature and in proper format. We have Prasanta Dutta’s details in our LIC main office website and his loan approval number is IGR (Indian Government Receipt) No 2108002180 and the loan is sanctioned against his property at Dupani Village of Demow Town, PO Nohat, Sivsagar and his phone number is 9957988470”.

Asked how the loan got sanctioned against a forged document, the Business Manager could not utter a second word in support of his claim but only gave an assurance that his office will immediately write to the Kolkatta Office to cancel the sanction. When INSIDENE further questioned as to who gave Ajoy Bhuyan the fake copy of Prasanta Dutta, the name of Jaffar Immam (Senior Associate) came to the light who claimed innocence and said the copy was furnished by the applicant Prasanta Dutta. Jaffar said,” I am from West Bengal, Asansol to be precise and I have no idea of Assam government land documents and I thought it to be genuine and as such kept a copy in our files and forwarded the file to our Business Manager Bipul Goswami for further processing”.

Ajoy Bhuyan informed INSIDENE,” I am long associated with LIC and hence thought of applying for a housing loan. I never thought that the document given by LICHFL could be duplicate. The forged document was handed over to my son by Jaffar Immam. Whatever be the reason but I am running from pillar to post for a loan to build my dream house and yet to get a sanction”. Sources known to the nexus has opined on condition of anonymity that the entire LICHFL is involved in the nexus of forging documents and getting a loan sanctioned and later pursuing a substantial amount from the beneficiary. Further it is alleged that there may be hundreds of such illegal sanctions and in some cases a loan has been sanctioned against a property which is shown to be in an urban area whereas the real existence is in a rural area. People are desirous of strict action and some believe that a formal written complaint against this unscrupulous method is already with the PMO.