In “zero tolerance against corruption” Bihar unearths mega scam after eight years
Patna,(BiharTimes): Just after chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday disclosed that a scam of more than Rs 295 crore, by way of an illegal transfer of government funds to private accounts, including a non-governmental organization (NGO) has been detected, a team of officials, led by J S Gangwar, IG, Economic Offence Unit (EOU), rushed to Bhagalpur to start inquiries into what is suspected to be a major financial scam in Bihar.
Though the chief minister did not divulge the details, the timing of the revelation and the swiftness with which the team from state headquarters was dispatched, indicated the possibility of some political angle.
But sources did not rule out likely embarrassment for the Nitish government as to how can all this happen, and that too reportedly from 2009, when it always claimed that no scam would be tolerated.
Not only that: the government was getting reports of such scams from other districts as well.
Reports quoting the Bhagalpur administration said the probe related to the siphoning off government funds, close to Rs 295.36 crore, earmarked for the Mukhiyamantri Shahari Vikas Yojana, besides funds meant for land acquisition.
Reports also said that the fraudulent withdrawal of government funds that remained unnoticed at administrative level during recent years was detected only after a cheque purported to have been issued by the Bhagalpur administration was dishonoured.
Initial investigations, according to reports from Bhagalpur said, found at least Rs 270 crore was diverted from the bank accounts of land acquisition office, Rs 15 crore from district treasury office and Rs 10.26 crore from the Mukhyamantri Shahri Vikas Yojana.
An FIR was lodged on Tuesday evening at Tilkamanjhi PS in connection with fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 10.26 crore fund of the Mukhyamantri Shahari Vikas Yojana, against board members of Srijan Sahayog Mahila Vikas Samiti, a Sabour based NGO and concerned officials of Indian Bank.
Two more FIRs were lodged on Wednesday in connection with fraudulent withdrawal of funds of land acquisition department.
