The CID found that 10 crore rupees had been moved illegally in connection with the Bokaro treasury fraud. They’ve frozen 1.98 crore in money, and arrested three people, two of whom are police. An official statement on Friday explained this action, which is happening because of increasing worry about money being taken from government treasuries in various districts.
The work in Bokaro is happening at the same time as similar investigations in Hazaribag and West Singhbhum, revealing that money was supposedly stolen from within the police accounts departments. Because of this, the state is now doing a full check of all treasuries, meaning public money will be watched much more closely.
Bokaro money trail, arrests, and frozen deposits
The CID says investigators froze two fixed deposits, one for 1.8 crore rupees and another for 18 lakh rupees, because they think they are connected to the Bokaro treasury fraud. The money was supposedly moved through many different accounts. Those arrested were accountant Kaushal Kumar Pandey, Assistant Sub-Inspector Ashok Kumar Bhandari, and Home Guard Satish Kumar.
The CID says the arrests happened after they discovered money was taken from the treasury’s account for paying salaries. The case suggests people within the system were working together, with money being withdrawn and moved into the names of several people.
Seizures from ASI Ashok Kumar Bhandari
When CID officers searched Bhandari’s home, they took documents relating to property he likely got from illegal activity. This included 4.08 decimals of land in Telidih, Bokaro, a three-story house on that land, and an additional 4.98 decimals of land.
Alleged withdrawals and the FIR trigger
Pandey is accused of stealing over 6 crore rupees from the salary account, and he did it using the names of Ram Naresh Singh, Upendra Singh, and S Kumar. He was arrested after Gulab Chand Oraon, the treasury officer at Bokaro Steel City police station, filed a report with the police.
The CID has filed its own report with the police, using sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the IT Act. The three people accused are now in jail, according to the statement.
Wider embezzlement probes in Hazaribag and West Singhbhum
In Hazaribag, three employees of the police accounts department – Shambhu Kumar, Rajnish Singh, and Dhirendra Singh – were arrested on April 8 for allegedly stealing 15.41 crore rupees from two accounts over eight years. On April 9, Kajal Kumari and Khusboo Kumari, the wives of two of the accused, were also arrested.
In West Singhbhum, a report was filed on April 26 about the alleged stealing of 27 lakh rupees from the district treasury. Sumit Kumar Singh, the Chaibasa treasury officer, gave a statement. This led to the arrests on April re of Devnarayan Murmu (a constable accountant), his relatives Arun Kumar Mardi and Sarkar Hembrom (from East Singhbhum), and his friend Gorachand Mardi (from Odisha).
These related cases show weaknesses in the way public money is handled and in the police accounts departments. They also show a repeated pattern of illegally using salary and treasury accounts in many districts.
Audit ordered and the road ahead
State Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore has ordered a complete review of all district treasuries because of the reports of money being taken illegally. This order is meant to look at all the transactions and determine who is responsible for the government money at each location.
Here are the key official actions highlighted so far:
– Rs 10 crore money trail traced by Jharkhand CID
– Rs 1.98 crore in fixed deposits frozen
– Three arrests in the Bokaro case
– FIRs under BNS and the IT Act
– State-wide treasury audit ordered
The Bokaro case, along with the arrests in Hazaribag and West Singhbhum, shows that a large investigation into financial crimes is happening within the state government. The investigations that have started with several reports filed with the police have clearly shown how the networks of stolen money work.
Currently, the focus is on the treasury review and what happens in court with the people who have been arrested. It’s expected that what is found will decide what happens next to improve how money is managed in Jharkhand.
