STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The Crime Branch on Monday registered an FIR in a case of embezzlement of over Rs 17 crore in CAPD Department involving senior officers, Tehsil Supply Officers (TSOs) and dealers.
The CB has found that huge assets disproportionate to the known source of income have been raised by the TSOs, Store Keepers, ration store dealers and other officers of the CAPD Department through fraudulent means thereby causing huge loss to the State exchequer.
SSP Crime Branch Mubassir Latiffi said, “After conclusion of the enquiry the matter was referred by SP Reasi to the Crime Branch, for registration of a formal case for in-depth investigation.”
According to FIR, a preliminary enquiry was conducted by SDPO Mahore following some complaints and it was revealed that during the past five years over Rs. 17 crores were misappropriated/ embezzled by the CAPD staffers.
“Crores of rupees have been fraudulently withdrawn from the bank accounts of two TSOs of Mahore and Chassana in the name of carriage charges which were infact never paid/utilized as ration was never distributed in the respective centers”, he added.
SSP Latiffi further informed that TSO Mahore and TSO Chassana had reportedly prepared fake and fabricated records/bills related to carriage charges as the ration was being distributed at the road heads and not at the respective village centers.
On perusal of the enquiry report it transpired that TSOs/Store Keepers/Ration store dealers and other officers/officials of the CAPD department had, in conspiracy, prepared fake and fraudulent bills worth crores of rupees and swindled the same in order to cause wrongful gains to themselves and wrongful loss to the state exchequer.
The omissions and commissions, therefore, on the part of TSO Mahore, Chassana/ Store keepers/ Ration dealers and senior officers of CAPD Department, prima facie, constituted offences punishable u/s 420,465,466,467,468,471,120-B RPC read with Sec. 5(2) P. C Act Svt. 2006. Accordingly, a formal case is registered in police station Crime Branch, Jammu against the accused persons and started investigation.
Mubassir Latifi said that several top ranking officers are involved and nobody will be spared who embezelled the money meant for ration supply to poor people. The complaints were filed by Zarifa Begam, Qamer Din, villagers of village Bagoodas through Numberdar Dharm Singh and villagers of village Shajroo through Ex- Sarpanch Kartar Singh.
