Bihar: FIR against two IAS officers for embezzlement of MNREGA funds

PATNA: An FIR has been lodged against current and former Lakhisarai district magistrate Amit Kumar and Sunil Kumar respectively with the Town police station in district for embezzlement of funds to the tune of several crore for district wide plantation under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme.

Police sources said the FIR was lodged on orders of Lakhisarai chief judicial magistrate (CJM) Narayan Das Sharma passed on February 16 after a complaint case was filed on basis of information sought through RTI by Tuntun Singh for embezzlement of funds for plantation scheme.

Amit Kumar is a 2012 batch IAS officer while Sunil is a 2006 batch IAS officer and is presently posted as director in state social welfare department.

Along with the two IAS officers, Manish Dayal, proprietor of

Green Leaf Energy Private Limited

, a firm based in Gaya, has also been made accused in the FIR lodged on Tuesday.

"The embezzlement took place between financial year 2012-2013 and 2017-2018. Tuntun, on basis of RTI, alleged that forged master roll of workers were prepared displaying disbursal of wages on basis of which government funds were embezzled. Forged supply vouchers of saplings and plants were prepared in connivance with Dayal who was supplier for plantation across the district," a senior police officer on condition of anonymity said.

He also said that the investigation would begin soon to verify that if persons whose names are in the government records procured through RTI exits or not and if they were engaged in work. "Police would physically verify the persons and simultaneously, the vouchers showing purchase of saplings and plants would also be verified," he added.

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