Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 07:
A Delhi based publishing firm has formally lodged a complaint to the State Police Department against a retailer based in Imphal, charging the latter of duping the firm of over Rs 13 lakhs.
According to information culled by The Sangai Express, an Imphal based book retailer, Laxmi Book Palace, had placed an order for supply of books totalling Rs 18,61,384 with the M/S Soni Publication Pvt Ltd, Karol Bagh, Delhi.
The order was placed through a bank consignment.
Out of this total amount, Laxmi Book Palace had paid about Rs 5 lakhs earlier.
However according to the complaint filed by the Delhi firm, the proprietor of Laxmi Book Palace had withdrawn the consignments without paying the due amount.
The complaint was placed before Chief Minister O Ibobi by one Director of Soni Publication at Manipur Bhawan in New Delhi.
As things have unfolded, the name of the book store in Imphal has been changed.
The consignment was delivered by a Kolkata based agency, Maa Annapurna Agency in two phases on October 10, 2002 and December 17, 2003.After the initial amount of Rs 5 lakhs was paid, the proprietor of Laxmi Bazar asked the Delhi firm to send the books through a bank consignment courtesy Manipur Rural Co-operative Bank.
However there is no bank by the name of Manipur Rural Co-operative Bank and the consignments withdrawn without making any payments.
As Laxmi Book Palace has not paid the due amount of Rs 13,46,820, the Delhi firm has named three other co-accused in its complaint to the State Police.
The accused include the Manager, Manipur Rural Bank, Keishampat, Postal Authorities, Imphal through Post Master, Imphal and Maa Annapurna Transport agency, Kolkata.
Following the complaint submitted to the State Police Dept, an inquiry has been initiated, said a well placed source.
To set the record straight, the Manipur Rural Bank had earlier written to Laxmi Book Palace charging the proprietor of illegally withdrawing the consignments sent by Soni Publications.