VIJAYAWADA: A day after the State government announced that the Anti-Corruption Bureau will investigate the Rs 117.15 crore Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) scam wherein offenders tried to withdraw amount using three fake cheques, the probe into the case is likely to be entrusted to the Economic Offences Wing of Crime Investigation Department (APDCID).
The government, according to sources, is considering to hand over the probe to the CID as the offence took place in three other States. Three fake cheques were deposited in banks at Mangaluru in Karnataka, Kolkata in West Bengal and in New Delhi. Also, there is no prima facie evidence of involvement of corruption by the government staff for the ACB to act into the case.
Meanwhile, the Thullur police, which registered a case on Sunday based on a complaint filed by Revenue Department Assistant Secretary P Murali Krishna Rao, started their primary investigation. Thullur DSP T Srinivas Reddy questioned the SBI and revenue officials on Monday and recorded their statements. He also collected the records of cheques issued in 2019 and 2020 for the beneficiaries under the CMRF scheme and amount sanctioned, addresses of the beneficiaries and where they encashed the cheques.
The fraud came to light on Saturday when the SBI officials, where the accused tried to encash the forged cheques, cross-checked the transactions with their counterparts in Velagapudi of Thullur mandal and Vijayawada main branch. The accused had deposited fake cheques bearing the same cheque numbers issued by the department in three banks. “We are collecting all the evidence and will transfer the case to the APCID since they are experts in dealing with these kind of cases,” he said.