BAGALKOT : The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has started its investigation into the alleged illegal transfer of Rs 6.08 crore from the accounts held by five government departments in IDBI Bank.
The alleged fraud was detected after Rs 2.47 crore, deposited by the Tourism Department, was found to have been illegally transferred. This prompted officials to file a complaint on June 11. Subsequent investigations revealed that funds belonging to the Minority Department, Textile and Handloom Department, Panchayat Raj Engineering Department and the Backward Classes Welfare Department were also illegally transferred from their respective IDBI Bank accounts. The heads of these five departments filed separate complaints with the city’s Cyber, Economic and Narcotics (CEN) police station.
Superintendent of Police Y Amarnath Reddy formed a special team, led by Circle Police Inspector M Nagareddy, to investigate the case. The investigation led to the arrest of 21 individuals, including nine staff members from IDBI Bank and two government officials.
After the case was found to be of a more serious nature, it was handed over to the CID.
A CID team arrived in the city on Tuesday, collected documents from the CEN police station, and met Inspector General of Police Vikaskumar in Belagavi. The CID has formed specialised teams under the leadership of senior officers to carry out department-specific investigations.
Sources said that so far, Rs 4.79 crore out of the illegally transferred Rs 6.08 crore has been recovered and redeposited into respective departmental accounts.