In Kuwait, a bank fraud case worth almost Rs 700 crore has surfaced.
Kerala nurses are accused of committing a Rs 700 crore loan fraud by Kuwait’s Gulf Bank. Targeting around 1,425 people, mostly Keralan nurses, the scam entailed taking out loans from Gulf Bank and then fleeing the nation without paying them back.
Many of these people migrated to India, Canada, Australia, and several European nations using the debts they had fraudulently gotten. Mohammed Abdul Wase, the deputy general manager of Gulf Bank, complained to the Kerala Police, leading to the registration of 10 FIRs in the case.
Wase urged action against the accused during a meeting with the chief of police in Kerala. The bank has identified ten loan defaulters who are currently resident in Kerala and has filed formal complaints against them, according to Thomas J. Anakkallumkal, the bank’s attorney in Kerala.
One of the nurses who went back to Kerala is now working at a nearby hospital and has bought a fancy flat in Kochi. Nonetheless, the person has been the target of legal actions. Delna Thankachan from Vadayampady is charged with Rs 93.10 lakh, while Shafiq Ali from Kalamassery is charged with Rs 1.25 crore. The charges include criminal breach of trust under Section 406 and cheating under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Notably, these people were granted loans by Kuwait’s Gulf Bank without the need for collateral. The majority of the nurses had taken out these loans to pay for their hiring costs, according to Jasmine Shah, president of the United Nurses Association.
Shah clarified that some nurses have not been able to pay back their Gulf Bank loans because they lost their jobs during the pandemic. Furthermore, many of the nurses who returned to India were left jobless when they tried to return to Kuwait due to travel restrictions.
“While many nurses had regularly paid back their loans, some took advantage of opportunities in Europe, Australia, and Canada by obtaining large loans before emigrating and then stopping repayments,” said Thomas J. Anakkallumkal, the bank’s representative in Kerala. Despite having identified these individuals, the bank is unable to take further action because they are not in Kuwait.
Gulf Bank has hired legal companies to bring legal action against the defaulters in India in order to address the fraud that was perpetrated in Kuwait. A police official claims that crimes committed overseas can be prosecuted under Indian law.
At police stations in a number of districts, including Kalamassery, Njarakkal, Varapuzha, Kalady, Muvattupuzha, Onnukal, Kodanad, and Kumarakom, Gulf Bank is actively seeking the offenders and bringing charges.