KP Ramaiah

Patna, July 27: Divisional commissioner K.P. Ramaiah today served a notice on an employee of the district welfare department for allegedly taking bribe for distributing scholarship funds among students belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. He has also ordered a thorough investigation of the case.

The Patna divisional commissioner told The Telegraph that Bajrangi Rai, an assistant in the welfare department, had been found guilty of demanding bribes from the beneficiaries.

“We acted upon a complaint of Vidyanand Vikal, the chairman of the Bihar State Commission for Scheduled Castes. The accused had been issuing cheques to beneficiary institutions with wrong details, prompting banks to honour them. Later, he would ask individual students for bribes to release their scholarship money. The scanning of cash book of the transactions has proved the charges against him prima facie as there is no entry of any release from 2009 even as scholarships have been given regularly,” Ramaiah said, adding that a showcause notice had been served to the accused.

The divisional commissioner said it was yet to be found out how much money he made through bribe. “We suspect that primary investigations have only revealed the tip of the iceberg. More skeletons could come out of the closet once we delve deeper. His cellphone has been seized and its call details are being scanned,” Ramaiah said.

“It has also come to light that he was working on deputation in the department since 2008 without any orders though he was posted in the university in Bhojpur. An FIR could be lodged against him in days to come,” said a source.