4 officials arrested for bungling Rs 20 lakh
Koraput: Vigilance sleuths on Thursday arrested four officials in Rayagada district for allegedly misappropriating over Rs 20 lakh under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in Kashipur block.
The arrested officials are Rajendra Nath Naik, assistant project director-cum-project implementing agency (APD-cum-PIA), Jogendra Khosla and Deepak Kumar Sahoo, both soil conservation overseers, and Srikumar Nayak, a soil conservation extension worker. All were associated with the office of the project director (Watershed), Rayagada, according to an official release.
Speaking to the media, superintendent of police (Vigilance) R K Panda said an inquiry was launched following complaints of large-scale corruption in the excavation of farm ponds under MGNREGS.
The investigation revealed that the accused fraudulently diverted govt funds by falsely documenting the excavation of 23 farm ponds in villages across Kashipur block.
"
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed!
IC Markets
Start Now
Undo
These ponds were never actually excavated. However, funds were disbursed and credited into the bank accounts of job card holders under MGNREGS and later withdrawn. These suspicious transactions are under further investigation," said Panda.
He said the addresses of the purported farm ponds were in remote and forested areas, and physical verification confirmed that at least 23 of them did not exist. False bills were prepared to siphon off the funds, he added.
Between 2022 and 2024, around Rs 3 crore was sanctioned for the digging of farm ponds in the region. So far, misappropriation of Rs 20 lakh has been detected, but officials fear the extent of the scam could be much higher. "Our field teams are conducting further verifications, and we suspect the number of ghost ponds and the misused funds may increase," Panda said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
31 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Valuables worth Rs 25 lakh stolen from wedding hall
L Shiva Shankar, a resident of Gavipura Badavane has filed a complaint in this regard. The complainant had booked the hall for his daughter's wedding. Thursday was the reception and the next day was the muhurtham. 'After the reception, the bride is said to have gone to her room with her relatives and kept the gold ornaments weighing around 200 grams. On Friday after locking the room, the bride went for muhurtham and returned in the afternoon. Rs 3,00,000 in cash and the ornaments kept in the suitcase and bags were found missing. However, the door lock was intact. The case is still under investigation and nobody has been arrested yet,' said an officer. The police are checking the other CCTV footage. A case of theft has been registered.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Delhi Police red-faced as crores stolen from special cell store; head constable held
Cops red-faced as crores stolen from police spl cell store; head constable held NEW DELHI: A high-profile theft has rocked Delhi Police special cell, with cash and jewellery worth crores going missing from its police station in Lodhi Colony. In a shocking twist, the culprit behind the daring heist was revealed to be none other than a head constable. Khurshid, the main suspect, had recently been transferred to the east district after serving in the special cell for a long time. He has been arrested, and Rs 50 lakh cash and jewellery valued at over Rs 2 crore recovered from him, officials said. The theft took place in early hours of May 31 at the cell's store (maalkhana). Sources said there were telltale signs that this was not the first theft from the store - at least three previous instances are under investigation - and that it could be an ongoing scam. It is also being probed whether records of cash at the maalkhana were being updated every day. The supervisory officers will be questioned and accountability fixed, sources said. The maalkhana is a secure facility where items seized by Delhi Police during various raids and operations are stored. These include cash, narcotics, weapons, gold etc. Khurshid had meticulously planned the theft and it hinged on his prior access and familiarity with the maalkhana. During his posting at the maalkhana, he had managed to get duplicate keys made of the storeroom locks which he used to execute the theft without being noticed or stopped. Khurshid was well-acquainted with the layout, security measures and routine operations. "Having previously worked there, he was also known to the staff and no one questioned his presence. When he entered the storeroom, the staff assumed he was there on official duty," said a sub-inspector who didn't wish to be named. Police said Khurshid quietly accessed the storeroom using the duplicate key and left with the stolen items without drawing attention or being caught in the CCTV. He, however, left the door open while leaving which led to the discovery of the theft in the morning. Sources said Khurshid was faintly captured on CCTV while trying to fudge the entry book around 2am. He was masked and wearing a helmet to camouflage his identity but colleagues identified him by his appearance and physical features. Special cell cops then raided his house in Indirapuram while placing his phone on surveillance. The stolen items were recovered from his car. The incident has exposed serious lapses. Questions are being raised on why the same unit was allowed to investigate the case given that there could be involvement of others from the cell, including seniors. Further, the possibility of Khurshid having stolen other items while he was in-charge of the store can't be ignored, said a former cell cop. The station's maalkhana came under inspector Shiv Darshan, ACP Rahul Vikram and DCP (now additional CP) Pratiksha Godara. "Khurshid was previously overseeing the store (maalkhana) until his transfer in April. He left the cell (relieved on paper) in the last week of May, days before the heist," said a source. "This is like the faux pas made in the Nadir Shah case where the unit under scanner was asked to probe the case just because it had prior intelligence connected to the incident," he added. Businessman Nadir Shah was gunned down in full public view outside a gym in GK-I last September. He was under police surveillance and many special cell cops were in the vicinity at the time of the killing. Sources said the police commissioner is likely to establish accountability once the probe is complete. For now, an FIR of theft has been registered at the special cell. A separate enquiry by the vigilance unit is likely to be ordered as well.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Israeli forces open fire a kilometer away from Gaza aid site, killing 3, health officials say
Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip opened fire early Monday as people headed toward an aid distribution site a kilometer away, killing at least three and wounding dozens, health officials and a witness said. The military said it fired warning shots at "suspects" who approached its forces. The shooting occurred at the same location where witnesses say Israeli forces fired a day earlier on crowds heading toward the aid hub in southern Gaza run by the Israeli and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation . The Israeli military said it fired warning shots on Monday toward "several suspects who advanced toward the troops and posed a threat to them," around a kilometer (1,000 yards) away from the aid distribution site at a time when it was closed. The army denied it was preventing people from reaching the site. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo by Taboola by Taboola The United Nations and major aid groups have rejected the foundation's new system for aid distribution. They say it violates humanitarian principles and cannot meet mounting needs in the territory of roughly 2 million people, where experts have warned of famine because of an Israeli blockade that was only slightly eased last month. In a separate incident Monday, an Israeli strike on a residential building in northern Gaza killed 14 people, according to health officials. The Shifa and al-Ahli hospitals confirmed the toll from the strike in the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp, saying five women and seven children were among those killed. Live Events The military said it had struck "terror targets" across northern Gaza, without elaborating. Israel says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians. It blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militant group is entrenched in populated areas. Also Monday, the Palestinian Authority said a 14-year-old boy was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank in the Palestinian village of Sinjil. In a statement, the Israeli military said troops in the Sinjil area had opened fire and "neutralized" someone who threw two bottles containing a dangerous substance at them. Shooting in southern Gaza A Red Cross field hospital received 50 wounded people, including two declared dead on arrival, after the shooting in southern Gaza, according to Hisham Mhanna, a Red Cross spokesperson. He said most had gunfire and shrapnel wounds. Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis said it received a third body. Moataz al-Feirani, 21, who was being treated at Nasser Hospital, said he was shot in his leg as he walked with a crowd of thousands toward the aid distribution site. He said Israeli forces opened fire as they neared the Flag Roundabout at around 5:30 a.m. "We had nothing, and they (military) were watching us," he said, adding that drones were filming them. On Sunday, at least 31 people were killed and over 170 wounded at the Flag Roundabout as large crowds headed toward the aid site, according to local health officials, aid groups and several eyewitnesses. The witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire on the crowds at around 3 a.m. after ordering them to disperse and come back when the distribution site opens. Israel's military on Sunday denied its forces fired at civilians near the aid site in the now mostly uninhabited southern city of Rafah, a military zone off limits to independent media. An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with procedure, said troops fired warning shots at several suspects advancing toward them overnight. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has denied previous accounts of chaos and gunfire around its sites, said it had delivered aid on both days without incident. On Sunday night, the foundation issued a statement, saying aid recipients must stay on the designated route to reach the hub Monday, and that Israeli troops are positioned along the way to ensure their security. "Leaving the road is extremely dangerous," the statement said. 'Risking their lives for food' U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "appalled by the reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza" on Sunday. "It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food." He called for an independent investigation into what happened. Israel and the United States say they helped establish the new aid system to circumvent Hamas, which they accuse of siphoning off assistance. U.N. agencies deny there is any systemic diversion of aid and say the new system violates humanitarian principles by allowing Israel to control who receives aid and by forcing Palestinians to travel long distances to receive it. Palestinians must pass close to Israeli forces and cross military lines to reach the GHF hubs, in contrast to the U.N. aid network, which delivers aid to where Palestinians are located. No end in sight to Israel-Hamas war The Israel-Hamas war began when Palestinian militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Hamas is still holding 58 hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive. Israel's military campaign has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The ministry is led by medical professionals but reports to the Hamas-run government. Its toll is seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts, though Israel has challenged its numbers. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli pullout. Israel has vowed to continue the war until all the hostages are returned, and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile. It has said it will maintain control of Gaza indefinitely and facilitate what it refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population. Palestinians and most of the international community have rejected the resettlement plans, viewing them as forcible expulsion.
