RANCHI: In a major development, the Enforcement Directorate has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) over the alleged fraudulent withdrawal of government funds under the salary head from various treasuries in Jharkhand.
The ECIR is based on FIRs linked to suspected fake withdrawals from treasuries in Ranchi, Hazaribagh and Bokaro. So far, 12 people have been arrested and sent to jail during investigations being carried out by the police and the Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The matter first came to light after Principal Accountant General (Accounts) Chandra Moli Singh informed the Finance Department about irregular withdrawals made by the police department during scrutiny of treasury records.
The initial communication mentioned fake withdrawals only from Bokaro and Hazaribagh treasuries. Following the revelations, the state government ordered district-level inquiries into withdrawals made under the salary head.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren constituted a high-level probe team led by a senior IAS officer, with a senior official from the Accountant General’s office as a member.
Although the government initially ordered investigations in only two districts, the Principal Accountant General later informed the government about suspected irregular withdrawals from 12 treasuries across the state.
The letter also raised suspicion of similar fraud in the health and education departments. Based on this, the Finance Department directed the concerned districts to conduct detailed inquiries.
An SIT has also been formed to investigate the FIRs registered in connection with the fake withdrawals. In Ranchi, Animal Husbandry Department accountant Munindra Kumar and his associate Sanjeev Kumar have been arrested and sent to jail.
Investigators alleged that Munindra Kumar fraudulently withdrew salary amounts by inflating basic pay figures to as high as Rs 20 lakh.
During the probe, investigators also found that arrested constables, Shambhu Kumar, Rajneesh Singh and Dhirendra Singh, accused in the Hazaribagh treasury scam, had been handling accounting work at the Hazaribagh SP’s office for nearly 10 years in violation of police regulations.
Meanwhile, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Jharkhand High Court seeking a CBI and ED probe into the alleged illegal treasury withdrawals.
Petitioner Daniel Danish alleged collusion and corruption involving senior police officials and sought a thorough investigation into withdrawals made across districts under the guise of TA, DA and other allowances.
The petition also urged the Jharkhand Police to scrutinise TA and DA claims of bodyguards and staff allegedly drawing allowances by falsely claiming postings away from headquarters.
Additionally, the petitioner alleged that accused Kaushal Pandey had received “Certificates of Commendable Service” from several IPS officers.