Patna: The enforcement directorate (ED) has lodged a money-laundering case in connection with financial irregularities in the construction of toilets in four panchayats under Harnaut block of Nalanda, home district of chief minister Nitish Kumar.

The ED's move comes almost three months after an FIR was lodged with the Gokulpur police outpost in Nalanda district against 84 persons, including then block development officer (BDO) of Harnaut, Chandan Kumar, MNREGA district programme officer Vikas Mitra and three other officials in April.

The FIR was lodged on the directive of Patna divisional commissioner Anand Kishor who, prima facie, found financial irregularities in disbursement of incentives to beneficiaries under Chauria panchayat in Nalanda district. A sum of Rs 12,000 was disbursed among a little over 350 beneficiaries of the Chauria panchayat.

The fraud came to the fore after a Right to Information (RTI) activist, Suryamani Singh, lodged a complaint with the chief minister's secretariat, the Patna divisional commissioner and the district magistrate of Nalanda in February 2017. Suryamani, a resident of Nalanda, also sought relevant information under RTI from the district officials. The funds were disbursed for financial years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15.

The Patna divisional commissioner ordered an investigation and subsequently an FIR was lodged on the statement of incumbent block development officer Devendra Kumar. A sum of Rs 14 crore is suspected to be have been siphoned off by the accused. Sources said the funds were paid through eight non-government organisations.

Preliminary police investigation revealed that 69 beneficiaries were paid the amount in early 2017 despite having toilets in their houses. According to official records, altogether 1,547 new toilets were constructed in the panchayat concerned even though not more than 1,300 families were residing.

Authoritative sources said 56 persons returned the money soon after they got wind of the police action. A senior district official said on Friday that certificate cases were lodged against 10 beneficiaries for allegedly siphoning off the government funds.

Sources in the ED said notices would be issued against office-bearers of the four NGOs. Officials of the public health and engineering department (PHED) are also on the investigating agency's radar. "A case has already been registered under Money Laundering Act," a source in the ED said. Prior to the scam in Chauria panchayat, an FIR was lodged against seven persons for committing financial irregularities in construction of toilets in Barah panchayat under Harnaut block of Nalanda district in 2016.

In Patna also, a case was lodged with the Gandhi Maidan police station against public servants and office-bearers of four NGOs for allegedly siphoning off funds to the tune of Rs 15 crore.

On June 28, Rajiv Kumar Singh, section officer-cum-state coordinator of Lohia Swachh Bihar Abhiyan, wrote a letter to the deputy development commissioners of Nalanda and Sheikhpura to ensure that chargesheets were filed against the accused in the toilet scam.