Bhubaneswar, June 22: The vigilance directorate has registered a case against Manipur-Tripura cadre IPS officer for allegedly misappropriating Rs 88 lakh meant for the training of SC and ST students.
Joydeep Nayak, a 1991-batch officer, is a former inspector general of police, SC/ST protection cell, Odisha.
Five others, including an additional superintendent of police, have been arrested in the case.
Nayak, a 1991-batch officer, is currently posted as the director of fire services in Tripura. The alleged misappropriation had taken place during his deputation with the Odisha police. At that time, he was posted as inspector general, SC/ ST protection cell, in Cuttack.
Official sources said the money was meant for the training of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students. The arrested include Basant Kumar Pradhan, additional SP, working with the office of the DIG, South Western Range.
Director (vigilance) R.P. Sharma said the IPS officer was the main conspirator behind the misappropriation. "Nayak has undergone knee surgery and is currently in the ICU of Safdarjang Hospital in Delhi. We will arrest him once he is discharged from the hospital," he said.
Nayak had come on deputation from Tripura to Odisha in 2011 and served in several positions. He went back to Tripura in January this year.
Police said the case pertained to allocation of Rs 88 lakh by the state ST and SC development department last year to the SC/ ST protection cell of the state police in December last year for skill development. Under the programme, SC and ST youths were to be trained. However, Nayak has been accused of awarding the contract to a Cuttack organisation, Axis Computer, without floating any tender.
"The fund was meant for a training programme for around 6,000 SC and ST students and self-help groups. The organisation entrusted with the job lacked the expertise for organising such a training programme. The organisation imparted training for around 20 days in some schools and produced forged documents, including completion and utilisation certificates. The government incurred a loss of around Rs 73 lakh for violation of the financial norms," said Sharma.
The fraud came to light this year after Nayak's successor joined the cell. "The officer who took over charge after Nayak found out about the fund allocation and wanted to spend it for skill development. But by that time, the money had already been spent and utilisation certificate had also been made within one month of the allocation," said a vigilance official.
Later, the ST and SC department conducted a special audit during which the misappropriation was detected and the department lodged a formal complaint with the vigilance this month.
Based on the complaint, the vigilance today arrested the additional SP, Basanta Kumar Pradhan (the then DSP of the cell), Pracheta Kumar Mishra (the then steno), Ashutosh Mishra (proprietor, Axis Computer), Chandi Charan Patnaik (general manager of Axis Computer) and Mamata Rout, proprietor of a printing press.
Dupe cuffs
Officials of the economic offences wing today arrested director of a company for allegedly duping people after collecting a Rs 4.5 crore security deposit from them for using their land for installation of telecom towers.
The investigating agency arrested i-Mobile Vision and Services Limited director Satyaprakash Mohanty from Delhi.
The police said the company with its head office in Ranchi had collected Rs 45,000 each from 1,000 people in Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Angul and Balasore districts as security deposit and assured them of paying Rs 5,200 per month for using their land for installation of telecom towers. The money was collected between 2010 and 2012.