Tuesday, March 13, 2012

37 Lakh Worth Scam in Kishtwar

Two officials abscond with record

Two Government officials including a Junior Engineer have gone underground along with official record after ` 37 lakh worth scam surfaced in construction of Community Information Centre at Drabshalla block in Kishtwar district.

Police have registered a case in the scam. Preliminary investigations, however, revealed that a number of officials were involved in the embezzlement of Government funds.

Police sources said Mohammad Ashraf Mir, a Junior Engineer then posted at Drabshalla and presently at Thathri block in Kishtwar district and Chet Ram, a Senior Assistant of Nagseni block have gone underground after registration of FIR against them along with official record.

Ashraf Mir had withdrawn ` 4.88 lakh worth Government funds on his own name, police said.

"So far, we have registered a case against Ashraf Mir, Chet Ram and Prabhu Dayal, a retired Block Development Officer (BDO) of Drabshalla’’, police said, adding more officers including Mohammad Yasin Mir, another retired BDO were likely to be incorporated in the FIR during ongoing investigations in the case.

A FIR in the scam has been registered at Kishtwar police station vide No. 40/2012 under Sections 420, 467, 468, 407 and 409 RPC.

Police said the Government had sanctioned Community Information Centre and a Multi Purpose Building at Drabshalla block under Government of India’s Community Development Programme.

A contractor, Mohammad Sabir of Nalli, Bonjwah, who was allotted the work also didn’t get his due amount. Instead, the bills against his name were got encashed by subsequent BDOs, JEs and other officials of Drabshalla block.

On spot investigations and analysis of the building by police revealed that an amount ranging between ` 10 lakh to ` 12 lakh only had been spent on the building as against ` 37 lakh shown in the official records. Majority of the amount had been swindled by the officials by withdrawing it from the treasuries on different names.

Sources said during raid in the offices of JE and BDO besides other concerned officials at Drabshalla block, police didn’t come across any documents pertaining to purchase of material, approval of works and permission of Drawing and Disbursement Officers (DDOs) for withdrawal of funds, which indicated that bulk of ` 37 crore worth funds had been swindled by the officers.

Police said they conducted raids in offices and houses of Mohammad Ashraf Mir and Chet Ram but both of them were absconding with official records. Majority of record was missing from the offices, police said.

DySP Kishtwar (Headquarters) Abrar Choudhary was investigating the case under the supervision of DIG Doda-Ramban range Manish Kumar Sinha and SP Kishtwar Bhim Sen Tuti.

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