Guwahati, Mar 7: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Gangtok Sub Zonal Office, has provisionally attached movable and immovable properties valued at Rs. 65.46 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the misappropriation and laundering of funds from the State Bank of Sikkim (SBS) by Dorjee Tshering Lepcha, the former General Manager (Operations) of SBS.

The attached properties include four immovable assets—residential buildings and land parcels situated at Deorali, Syari, Ranipool, and Penlong in Sikkim. These properties were acquired through Proceeds of Crime (POC) resulting from fraudulent fund-siphoning activities within SBS. Additionally, the ED has attached bank balances and fixed deposits totaling approximately Rs. 53.41 crore, held in the name of Dorjee Tshering Lepcha and his family members.

The ED initiated the investigation based on an FIR registered by the CID-PS, Gangtok, under various sections of the IPC, 1860, and the Information Technology Act, 2000. The case was later transferred to the Sikkim Vigilance Police for further probing.

The investigation revealed that while serving as General Manager (Operations) at SBS, Lepcha orchestrated a large-scale fraud by creating a fraudulent bank account under the name of “AE Roads and Bridges Department, Government of Sikkim.” Funds were illicitly credited into this account by manipulating the General Ledger (GL) accounts for Central Bank of India (CBI) and State Bank of India (SBI) transactions. These funds were then diverted into personal accounts held by Lepcha, his wife, other family members, and associates. The probe also uncovered the manipulation of fixed deposits to fraudulently boost interest earnings.

Further searches were conducted by the ED on February 14, 2025, at several premises linked to Dorjee Tshering Lepcha. Incriminating documents related to property purchases were seized, and approximately Rs. 75 lakh was frozen from various bank accounts tied to Lepcha.

The investigation is in progress.

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