Patna/Bhagalpur: As the investigation on the ‘Toilet Scam’, locally known as the ‘Srijan scam’ hots up, the CBI  filed chargesheets in two more cases. The scam involved fraudulent transfer of over Rs 1,000 crore from the accounts of the Bhagalpur district administration to those of Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti Limited, an NGO based in Sabour.

The first chargesheet relates to the case lodged with the Bhagalpur Kotwali police station (494/17). Then assistant manager of Indian Bank Mohammad Taukir Kasim and one Vinod Kumar have been accused of siphoning off funds to the tune of Rs 5.5 crore. The funds were meant for welfare schemes to be undertaken in Bhagalpur district under the Mukhiya Mantri Nagar Vikas Yojna. The two are not traceable.

The money was transferred to Srijan’s accounts with Indian Bank on the forged signature of the then district magistrate in 2016 in alleged connivance with the bank employees.

Another chargesheet deals with fraudulent transfer of Rs 6 crore from the accounts of the district welfare officer to those of Srijan. Then district welfare officer of Bhagalpur, Arun Kumar; the former branch manager of Bank of Baroda, Sarfarazuddin and Srijan employees Indu Gupta and Sarita Jha have been charged with embezzlement of money meant for welfare schemes.

According to the chargesheet, the money was transferred from the district welfare officer’s accounts to those of Srijan with Punjab National Bank on December 6, 2016, through cheques. Sarita Jha is currently  in the Bhagalpur central jail.

On Wednesday, the CBI had filed the first chargesheet in the court of additional judicial magistrate Gayatri Kumari. The investigating agency has already requested the magistrate to transfer the cases related to the scam to the special CBI court to conduct trial of the accused. So far 18 persons have been arrested. One of the accused died in jail during treatment.

The CBI is set to file more chargesheets over the next few days in the scam, the agency’s public prosecutor A.H. Khan said.

“The first chargesheet pertained to a case lodged with the Tilka Manjhi police station in Bhagalpur. While four of the accused are in jail, two are absconding. The seventh accused, Manorama Devi, died in February this year,” Khan said.

The agency has so far taken over the investigation of 12 cases lodged with different police stations in Bhagalpur. “The chargesheet will be filed in eight remaining cases related to the fund transfer scam,” an investigating officer said on the condition of anonymity.

  Bihar, naked greed, toilet