INDIA : A prison inmate in Uttar Pradesh, India’s largest state, committed a serious crime before being released and withdrew a huge sum of Rs 5.2 million from the prison’s bank account. A prisoner serving time for murdering his wife hatched a film-style scheme with prison officials and former inmates and withdrew Rs. 5.285 million from the prison bank account over a period of 17 months. According to the Indian newspaper ‘Times of India’, a wife-killer prisoner in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh stole the prison’s checkbook and withdrew money from the prison’s bank account before being released on bail. The biggest prison fraud ever, involving the forged signatures and forged seals of the prison superintendent, went on for 17 months. After the incident came to light, the government took action, suspended the prison authorities and initiated further investigation. In this regard, Additional Superintendent of Police Azamgarh told the media that the accused Ramjit Yadav had been in jail since February 24, 2023, on charges of wife murder. He had accessed documents and checkbooks while working as an assistant (writer) in the prison accounts office. Before being released on bail on May 20, 2024, last year, he stole a checkbook and transferred money into his own account by issuing several checks with forged signatures. According to the police, Ramjeet committed this fraud with the help of another prisoner, Shiv Shankar Yadav, Senior Assistant Advisor Ahmed, and jail watchman Awdesh Kumar Pandey. Shiv Shankar has also now been released from jail, however, after the fraud case came to light, all four accused were arrested. When the incident came to light, Jail Superintendent Aditya Kumar Singh was also suspended for financial irregularities and dereliction of duty.
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