Hyderabad-based banker paid Rs 3.5 cr to gangster Nayeem

Hyderabad: Gokul Cooperative Urban bank ex-chairman Cheemala Jagadish Yadav, who allegedly swindled Rs 3.4 crore from the Telangana state Income-Tax department’s e-Seva account, claims that he paid the “state’s money” to gangster Nayeemuddin in order to save his life after he was abducted by the gangster.

Electronically Deliver-able Services e-Seva commissioner G.T. Venka-teswara Rao, an IRS official, lodged a complaint with the Central Crime Station. The police subsequently registered a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust against Mr Yadav and other former directors of the bank.

An e-Seva officials said, “Gokul Cooperative Urban Bank is a full-fledged bank, we had opened an account for depositing e-Seva money. Whenever we presented cheques, they bounced. More than '3 crore is with the bank. We filed a criminal case with CCS.”

Didn’t go to the police, says banker
Yadav defended himself by saying that the government removed him without prior notice. His tenure was supposed to be till December 31.

“I have been part of my caste welfare organisation. In 1999, when Belli Lalita Yadav was cut into pieces by Nayeem and his gang, I along with some others, took out his funeral procession on a tractor and spoke against the murder. Nayeem, who gathered information and photos of our support for Belli Lalita, killed two of our bank directors, Mallesh Yadav and Sriamulu Yadav, and a member, Siddhulu, in 2001. I became chairman of bank in 2012. The bank was established in 1996. From 2012 to 2014 I have been continuously getting threats from Nayeem and his gang.”

“In 2014, Nayeem, through his aides, abducted me and confined me at the Janaharsha Enclave in Ibrahimpatnam. He warned that he will take over the bank and threatened to kill me, stating that my head carries a weight (sic) of Rs 5 crore. So I paid Rs 3.5 crore in instalments in cash. The money is actually cash of e-Seva collections deposited in our bank. Though it was wrong, I used the state’s money to save my life.”

He added, “When I talked about this, nobody came to help me. I kept quiet without complaining to the police out of fear. After Nayeem’s death I met Special Investigation Team director Y. Nagi Reddy and complained to him about this. I also made an application to the Chief Minister and gave a letter to the e-Seva authorities stating that I will repay.”

According to Gokul Bank sources, the Telangana government removed Yadav and 14 other directors and appointed one D. Vijaya Lakshmi as special officer to manage the bank’s affairs.