BERHAMPUR: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is likely to take over the investigation into the alleged embezzlement of Rs 1.09 crore from the District Urban Development Agency (DUDA) in Rayagada.
Rayagada SP Raj Prasad has recommended transferring the case to the EOW in view of the magnitude of the alleged financial irregularity. The recommendation is expected to be reviewed before the transfer is finalised, following which an EOW team is likely to visit Rayagada within a couple of days to investigate the case.
The alleged fraud has raised questions over how an outsourced employee was entrusted with responsibilities involving substantial government funds.
Earlier, Rayagada MLA Appalaswamy Kadraka had expressed serious concern over the incident, alleging that such a large-scale financial irregularity could not have occurred without the knowledge or support of senior officials.
The MLA had demanded an EOW investigation, stating that the role of department officials and the circumstances under which the employee was entrusted with financial responsibilities should also be examined.
Departmental inquiry revealed that Binay Harijan, an outsourced employee working as a management information system (MIS) operator and accountant at DUDA, allegedly used forged signatures and fraudulent means to transfer Rs 1.09 crore to his personal bank account using forged signatures by targeting a specific department bank account.. He was also handling responsibilities related to streetlights and LED television management in urban areas.
The alleged fraud came to light on July 10. While the amount involved was initially estimated at Rs 10 lakh, a subsequent examination reportedly revealed that Rs 1.09 crore had been misappropriated.
Police said project director of DRDA Akshaya Khemundu lodged a complaint on July 18, eight days after the irregularity surfaced.
Police registered a case and seized several documents related to the alleged fraud from the DUDA office. However, the accused remains absconding, and the investigation has made little headway.