The State Crime Branch’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Tuesday arrested two persons, a Cashier at the Balikuda block office in Jagatsinghpur district, and a bank employee, for allegedly embezzling public funds of more than Rs 2.63 crore.
The accused duo was identified as Nihar Ranjan Das, a Cashier at the block office and Sanjay Samal, an Office Assistant at the Union Bank of India, Arilo Branch.
While Nihar was arrested on Monday, the EOW took Sanjay into custody on Tuesday. Both of them were booked under Sections- 420,409, 403,467,468,471,477(A) and 120 (B) of the IPC.
Both the accused were arrested based on a complaint lodged by Balikuda BD, Kaly0an Saurav Dash.In the FIR, it has been alleged that that the then Branch Manager, Union Bank of India, Arilo, Jagatsinghpur had unauthorisedly debited an amount of Rs 2,63,65,089 from the official accounts of BDO, Balikuda and misappropriated the amount.The EOW subsequently took over the investigation of the case from the Balikuda police . During the probe, the EOW found that the Balikuda BDO had been officially maintaining two savings accounts with the Corporation Bank (now Union Bank of India), Arilo branch for managing funds received under the Ama Gaon Ama Bikash scheme and for Critical Gap Fund.
During an internal audit held in December, 2020, the BDO ascertained that there were unauthorised debits of Rs. 2,61,89,272 and Rs. 1,75,817 from the accounts maintained for Ama Gaon Ama Bikash funds and Critical Gap Fund, respectively.
EOW officials said that Nihar Ranjan Das was working as the Cashier in the block office and was handling the accounts during that period.“A considerable amount out of the above mentioned public money was found to have been diverted to his (Nihar’s) personal account.
Similarly, an amount of Rs. 20 lakh (approximately) had been diverted to the personal account of accused Sanjay Samal, who is an employee at the Union Bank of India (erstwhile Corporation Bank), Arilo, Jagatsinghpur branch,” the EOW said in a release. Out of the diverted amount of Rs 20 lakhs, a major chunk had been routed through the then Branch Manager of the bank, Jugal Kishore Rout.
“The accused Branch Manager Jugal Kishore Rout subsequently committed suicide on January 1, 2021 after the crime to light. Further investigation in connection with the case is undergoing,” the release added