A 66-year-old man, who had been evading arrest for eight years after allegedly fabricating a fake Orissa high court order in 2018 to protect his daughter in a bank fraud case, was apprehended by the state crime branch on Thursday.
Background of the Case
The accused, Prasanna Kumar Patro, formerly employed as a malkhana clerk at a court in Koraput district, was booked following a complaint lodged by the high court on March 22, 2018. According to police, Patro, along with his wife and two daughters, was implicated in a bank loan fraud in Koraput in 2018. One of his daughters, working at a nationalised bank in Koraput, had allegedly embezzled Rs 2 crore between October 2016 and November 2017. The case was later transferred to the economic offences wing in June 2018.
Forgery and Arrest
To shield his daughter from prosecution, Patro fabricated a fake high court order directing the Jeypore civil court to share land-related information. When the high court discovered the forgery, it lodged a formal complaint. A crime branch official stated, "He conspired with his daughter to forge the order for wrongful gain and to shield her from prosecution in the bank fraud case."
Officials further revealed that Patro is a habitual offender. He had previously been booked for criminal breach of trust, forgery, and misappropriation of government funds during his tenure as a clerk at a court malkhana in Koraput. "He was convicted in 1993 and sentenced to three years' imprisonment in a case of criminal breach of trust. He is also accused of forging court orders in past cases to evade legal action," the officer added.
Legal Proceedings
The crime branch is now investigating the extent of Patro's involvement in previous forgeries and whether any other individuals were complicit. The arrested accused will be produced before a court to face charges related to forgery, conspiracy, and fraud.
