Patna, Dec. 17: Police have begun a focused drive to crack down on economic offences with a bid to cut off the tentacles at the grassroots.

The campaign comes in the wake of startling revelations of the extent of fiscal corruption in the hinterlands.

For example, in Majhaulia block of West Champaran district, the mukhiya (village head) of Bahurwa panchayat, along with the panchayat secretary and other block level officials, tampered with the list of beneficiaries of the Indira Awas Yojna provided by the district administration to oblige her (the mukhiya’s) supporters.

The irregularities were detected in the course of investigation carried out by senior district administrative officers and an FIR (No. 328) was lodged at Majhaulia police station against the mukhiya, panchayat secretaries, block agriculture officer, block welfare officer, block panchayati raj officer and a clerk associated with the Indira Awas scheme.

The FIR was lodged by block development officer Sanjay Kumar. The mukhiya, Archana Srivastava, and about half-a-dozen public servants have been charged with committing fraud and plundering government fund meant for the people belonging to SC/ST and non-SC/ST poor families living Below Poverty Line (BPL).

This is not an isolated case. In Gaya district, about a dozen influential persons were running stone crushing units in Manpur and Sherghati blocks without valid licenses for the past several years. A joint team of the district police and administrative officials carried out raids and seized equipment. Altogether 11 FIRs were lodged against those involved in causing a huge loss to the state exchequer.

All these cases have been taken up for investigation by the economic offices cell set up by the state police headquarters recently on the directive of chief minister Nitish Kumar. The cell is headed by director-general of police Abhayanand.

On the directive of the DGP, inspector-general (economic offences wing), Praveen Vashishtha, visited Gaya last week and reviewed all the cases of economic offences. After the review, the 11 cases related to illegal mining were taken up by the cell for investigation.

“Some important cases of economic offences will be probed by the officials posted with the economic offices cell while investigation of other cases will be monitored. The cell will provide assistance to the investigating officers of the district police and also issues directives to them from time to time,” said Abhayanand.

The DGP clarified that the cases of possessing counterfeit currency notes, narcotics and human trafficking would be treated as economic offices and probed by the cell at the state police headquarters. The process to provide the cell with required infrastructure is underway, he added.

He said 150 police officers had been selected as investigating officers, who would be imparted training by officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). “The officers will be sent for training in batches. The first batch is scheduled to leave for training by December-end,” Abhayanand added.

He said economic offences cells have been set up in districts to investigate such cases on a priority basis. The list of the cases has been sought from the superintendents of police.

Data compiled by the economic offices cell revealed that till November 2011, a total of 209 cases under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act have been registered at different police stations of the state. A total of 402 persons have been made accused in cases lodged under the NDPS Act whereas 15,078kg of marijuana, 11.69kg of heroin, 270.35kg of charas, 10kg of opium and 7.294kg of brown sugar have been seized from their possession.

The cell has also taken up for investigation two cases lodged with Kadamkuan police station in Patna in connection printing and circulation of fake non-judicial stamps and fake National Saving Scheme (NSC) certificates and Kisan Vikas Patras. “The two cases (119/2011 and 224/2011) would be probed by the personnel of the economic offices cell at the headquarters,” Abhayanand said.

Authoritative sources said fake non-judicial stamps, fake Kisan Vikas Patras and NSCs certificates worth Rs 56.44 crore had been seized by the police during raids conducted at two different places in Patna.

In fact, no new laws have been framed to deal with cases of economic offences. “There were laws to tackle such problems. But now it is being implemented in an effective manner. The main purpose is to check white-collar crime, which earlier was not on the priority list of the police. Now the government has focused on economic offences and related crimes,” the DGP said.

Under the NDPS Act, the offenders are liable for life imprisonment and a fine up ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. There is provision of minimum 10 years’ imprisonment if guilt is proved.