A sensational case of fraudulent loot of 1.34 crores from the Ministry of Minority Affairs has come to light after a team of Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch Wednesday arrested one of the accused hailing from West Bengal.

“A team headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police proceeded to West Bengal and arrested accused Selim Sekh of Tinsatabighi Berabad village in Malda district. He was wanted in many FIRs pertaining to fraudulent siphoning of Government funds,” a Crime Branch statement said.

The investigations were going on in the case FIR no 04/2020 U/S 420,468, 120b-RPC, 66(D)IT Act, 5(2) PC Act of Crime Branch Kashmir.

Sharing details of modus operandi of the accused, the crime branch statement said, the accused in criminal conspiracy with co-accused uploaded fake application forms on the National Scholarship Portal for Merit cum Means Scholarship under the Minority Quota for Jammu and Kashmir students during 2018-19 for Kulgam district. Subsequently, fake verifications were conducted from institutes that did not exist in states mentioned in the application forms.

The accused allegedly showed fake beneficiaries as residents of Kulgam district and thus got it verified by the district Social Welfare Officer through deceit and managed to transfer Rs 1.34 crore from the Ministry of Minority Affairs into accounts of 463 fake beneficiaries in branches of State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, United Bank of India (now PNB), Allahabad Bank, IDFC Bank and Bangiya Vikas Gramin Bank in different districts of West Bengal.   

 “The arrested accused is being questioned for further investigation”, the crime branch statement added.