Accused held in embezzlement case

DUMKA: Former circle officer of Shikaripara block Brajsankar Prasad Sinha was finally arrested on Tuesday from near the court compound. Sinha had been absconding for over two years in a case of financial embezzlement.
Sinha has been the accused of embezzling public money to the tune of Rs 22 lakh approximately meant for distribution to beneficiaries of the old-age pension scheme.An FIR against him was lodged in Shikaripara police station on April 26, 2007 at the behest of the then deputy commissioner, Mast Ram Meena.
To probe into the complaints of large-scale irregularities by Sinha, Meena had constituted an enquiry committee that substantiated the allegations and unearthed the scam.
The inquiry committee also detected the role of other employees of the Shikaripara circle office in the scam, who were arrested earlier. But Sinha having officiating the Shikaripara BDO's post by that time was transferred elsewhere and had been absconding ever since.
It is alleged that beneficiaries of the old-age pension scheme were handed anything between Rs 200 and Rs 400 against the stipulated Rs 2,800 to be paid to each of them during the special drive been launched by the Union government throughout the state.
The inquiry committee found that out of a total of 259 beneficiaries selected by the block authorities for the old-age pension scheme, 166 were given Rs 200 each, 26 beneficiaries Rs 400 and rest Rs 300 each.
Block authorities, according to the inquiry report, also tampered the documents so as to suppress the irregularities, prompting the district administration to lodge an FIR against Sinha and his subordinates involved in the scam.
Besides, Rs 6 lakh approximately had been misappropriated in the aforesaid matter, Sinha also faces charges of embezzling an additional Rs 17 lakh meant for the old-age pension scheme. It was also found that money was paid to even dead and underaged beneficiaries.
Surprisingly, however, the circle officer in question not only managed to get promotion but also managed to get himself transferred to Dumka district for yet another term about 4 months back in the post of assistant settlement officer. He joined here immediately, thereby putting a question mark on the role of the district administration.