GUWAHATI, June 30: Sleuths from the Assam Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell arrested six persons, including two former block development officers, from separate locations for alleged misappropriation of funds under MLA’s local area development schemes for road construction in lower Assam’s Barpeta district.
“An FIR was lodged on the basis of findings of the regular inquiry conducted by the inquiry officer who found that an amount of Rs 25, 08,323 has been misappropriated in connivance and collusion of the officials and staff of the Mandia Development Block without execution and implementation of 14 schemes as per plan and estimate under Baghbar legislative Assembly constituency for construction of roads under the MLA local area development fund,” an official statement said on Wednesday.
Accordingly, a vigilance police station case (number 02/2021) under Sections 0(B)/406/420/409/468/47 IPC read with Section 13 (2) of The Prevention of Corruption Act (Amendment) 1988 was registered on June 4, 2021.
“Immediately after registration of the case, following the chief minister’s instruction to expedite the investigation against all corruption-related cases, and upon finding sufficient documentary, material and circumstantial evidence against, the six accused were arrested from Mangaldoi, Guwahati and Barpeta simultaneously,” the statement said.
The accused arrested are Yusufur Rahman (58), currently posted as deputy CEO, Zila Parishad, Mangaldai and a former BDO, Mandia development block; Jadav Choudhury (62), former BDO of Mandia development block; Ainur Rahman (58) junior engineer, Mandia Development block, besides Abdur Rezzak (38), Mujahidur Rahman (35) and Sahjamal Ali (41) – all presidents of construction committee, Mandia development block.
“The accused persons have been arrested and forwarded to custody. They will be brought in police remand for further follow-up action. Investigation of the case is still on,” the superintendent of police, Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell, Assam, informed.
Earlier, during investigation, all the 14 MLA LAD schemes were jointly verified by a team from the vigilance cell with the expert team of PWD (roads) before submission of the joint verification report.
The findings revealed discrepancies and irregularities and that the MLA LAD schemes under the development block in Baghbar LAC, were not executed according to plan and estimate by the construction committees constituted by the Barpeta deputy commissioner upon recommendation by the local MLA.
“Of the released fund of Rs 65 lakh, the construction committees misappropriated a sum of Rs 25, 08,323 without execution of work as per plan and estimate which caused loss to the government exchequer,” the statement said.