14/08/2017

Bhagalpur scam figure crosses Rs 700 crore; DM’s steno among seven arrested

 





Patna,(BiharTimes): Even as the amount of money allegedly embezzled crossed Rs 700 crore the stenographer in Bhagalpur district magistrate’s confidential section, Prem Kumar, was among seven persons arrested on Friday.

While special investigation team (SIT) of the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) remained busy RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav on Saturday once again trained his gun on chief minister Nitish Kumar and deputy CM, Sushil Kumar Modi. He alleged that the scam runs into Rs 1,000 crore.

However, reports suggest that the amount embezzsled in the last several years may cross the figure of Rs 1,500 crore and may be several times more than the infamous fodder scam as it is suspected that such transfer of funds have taken place in other districts of the state too.

One report said that even the DM of Bhagalpur may be arrested but the SSP later denied it.

Officials said public money kept in state government and district administration bank accounts had been diverted to the bank accounts of NGO Srijan and other bank accounts for private use in connivance with high level government and bank officials and the employees of Srijan, which was founded by one Manorma Devi and being run after her death by her son Amit Kumar and his wife Priya Kumari.

 EOU IG JS Gangwar, who returned to Patna from Bhagalpur on Friday said besides Prem, nazirs Rakesh Yadav and Rakesh Jha, a clerk in Indian Bank, Ajay Pandey, Srijan’s manager Sarita Jha, its computer operator Vanshidhar Jha and retired audit officer Satish Chandra Jha were arrested. Three FIRs had been lodged with Kotwali police station in Bhagalpur in this connection on Wednesday.

The scam has come as a big embarrassment for Nitish Kumar and Sushil Modi as it has come just weeks after tall claims of ‘zero tolerance’ towards corruption. Now nobody in the government is able to answer to RJD’s allegation that if the government was so serious against its stand on corruption how is it that the scam continued to flourish in the last many years.

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