Ranchi, Nov. 3: A police officer investigating cases of embezzlement of public money has filed an affidavit in court against his senior, alleging he was trying to influence the probe by preventing him from arresting an accused.

In the affidavit, filed in Jharkhand High Court, vigilance department investigating officer Mithilesh Singh has claimed that additional director-general of police (vigilance) Neeraj Sinha was exerting pressure on him to go slow on the probes into two cases of 2012-13, one involving purchase of inferior quality seeds and the other that has come to be known as the Jharkhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (JREDA) scam.

Singh has alleged that although Sinha had earlier instructed him to investigate the cases freely and get arrest warrants issued against accused, he was now singing a different tune.

The investigating officer said when he got out an arrest warrant against accused Sanjay Sinha, a former director in JREDA, he was ordered not to arrest him as he was the husband of a police officer.

Singh’s counsel Rajeev Kumar said the investigation in the cases was no longer free from influence.

“If a senior officer is manipulating the investigation and ordering the investigating officer to not proceed against accused persons, the subordinate officer has no scope but to either face the wrath of his superior or get into trouble in a court of law,” he said.

Both the cases are being monitored by Jharkhand High Court, which has sought periodic status reports of investigations.

The JREDA scam was brought to light through a public interest litigation filed by Ajablal Singh, alleging public money had been swindled by its officers in connivance with government employees.

Ajablal had alleged that in a partial audit conducted by the office of the accountant general Rs 52 crore had been found unaccounted for, indicating widespread corruption within the JREDA.

He alleged the appointments of the JREDA managing director and others weren’t conducted following due process and demanded a CBI probe into the affairs of the agency.

The case is now being investigated by the Vigilance Bureau.

The seeds scam was exposed in another PIL filed by one Jitendra Kumar, who alleged that the government procured inferior quality seeds which were then distributed to farmers.

The seeds, he added, were purchased without floating tenders and public money was squandered.

The FIR in the seeds scam, said Singh’s counsel Rajeev Kumar, pegged it at Rs 46 crore. But, its true value would emerge after investigations were over, he added.

As a part if the scheme, 930 wells of 40 feet depth and 20 feet diameter were to be dug in 180 blocks across the state. Investigations revealed that the wells had not been dug as per specifications.

Yet, government funds had been sanctioned and released for these wells, Kumar told the high court.