THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Ranchi, May 14: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in connection with the alleged fraudulent withdrawals made from treasury funds under the salary head in Jharkhand, intensifying the investigation into what is emerging as a major financial irregularity involving multiple districts and government departments.
The ECIR has been registered on the basis of FIRs lodged over suspicious withdrawals carried out through the Ranchi, Hazaribagh and Bokaro treasuries.
The ED’s entry into the case is expected to increase legal troubles for several officials, including some of DSP rank, who are allegedly linked to the fraudulent withdrawals or are accused of returning money after illegally drawing funds from treasury accounts.
12 Arrested in Treasury Fraud Probe
So far, 12 people have been arrested and sent to judicial custody during investigations conducted by the police and the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
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Among those arrested in the Ranchi case are Munindra Kumar, an accountant in the Animal Husbandry Department, and his associate Sanjeev Kumar.
Investigators alleged that Munindra Kumar fraudulently withdrew salary payments by showing a fictitious basic pay of ₹20 lakh.
In connection with the Hazaribagh treasury case, Saurabh Singh, Rajneesh Kumar Singh, Shambhu Kumar, Kajal Kumari, Khushboo Singh and Dhirendra Singh have been arrested.
Meanwhile, Kaushal Pandey, Satish Kumar Singh and Kajal Mandal were arrested in the Bokaro treasury fraud case.
Sabita Kumari has also been arrested for alleged fraudulent withdrawals made in the names of health workers through the Deoghar Treasury.
Accountant General Flagged Fraud During Audit
The alleged scam first came to light after Principal Accountant General (Accounts) Chandra Mauli Singh informed the Finance Department about irregular withdrawals made by the Police Department under the salary head during a treasury audit.
The initial report specifically highlighted suspicious withdrawals from Bokaro and Hazaribagh treasuries.
Following the findings, the Jharkhand government ordered district-level inquiries into salary head withdrawals and constituted a high-level committee headed by Excise Department Principal Secretary Amitabh Kaushal to investigate the matter.
The committee is currently examining records linked to the Bokaro Treasury.
Fraud Suspected in 12 Treasuries
The scope of the investigation widened after the Principal Accountant General sent another communication to the government alleging fraudulent withdrawals from as many as 12 treasuries across Jharkhand.
The report also raised concerns over possible irregular withdrawals in the Health and Education departments.
Subsequently, the Finance Department directed district authorities to conduct detailed investigations into the suspected transactions.
SIT and ED Intensify Investigation
An SIT was constituted by the state government to investigate FIRs related to the treasury withdrawals.
With the ED now registering an ECIR under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the investigation is likely to focus on tracing money trails, identifying beneficiaries and examining possible involvement of government officials and intermediaries.