EOW chargesheets 108 in corruption racket in J-K's Bandipora

Srinagar, Jan 2 (PTI) The Economic Offences Wing of the Crime Branch Kashmir has filed a chargesheet against 108 persons accused in a corruption racket in the Bandipora district electric division, officials said on Friday.

The EOW has submitted the chargesheet in a case registered under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), read with Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, before the Court of Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, Baramulla, the EOW officials said.

The chargesheet has been filed against 108 accused in connection with a case involving embezzlement of Government funds and illegal appointments in the electric division Sumbal, in the north Kashmir district, they said.

The accused include 15 executive engineers, six assistant accounts officers, an accounts assistant, six head assistants, four senior assistants (including the kingpin Mushtaq Ahmad Malik, resident of Aragam, Bandipora), four junior assistants and an orderly -- all were posted in Sumbal Electric Division, they said.

The chargesheet also names 25 officials from Sumbal and Sonawari branches of the J&K Bank, and 46 illegally appointed employees, the officials said.

The case was registered in 2018 following information that the Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO), in connivance with other officials of the department and bank officials, fraudulently drew crores of rupees from Government accounts and facilitated fake appointments, they said.

Investigation established large-scale commission of offences, including diversion of Government funds, the officials added.

During the investigation, the EOW recovered crores of rupees from the accused kingpin Malik and it emerged that substantial amounts were transferred to multiple bank accounts of the accused, including savings accounts and term deposits, along with accrued interest, they said.

The Government had accorded sanction for prosecution against the accused and submitted the chargesheet before the competent court for judicial process, they said. PTI SSB SHS