Key Accused Arrested in Rs 1,000 Crore Bihar Scam After Six Years on the Run
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended Rajni Priya, the secretary of Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti (SMVSS), in connection with a Rs 1,000 crore scam perpetrated by the Bihar-based NGO. Priya, who had been evading arrest for the past six years, was captured in Sahibabad, a region in Ghaziabad near Delhi.
The arrested accused (Priya), daughter-in-law of the NGO founder (Manorama Devi) and Secretary of the NGO, is allegedly the key accused in the scam and has been absconding since the beginning of the investigation. She was declared a proclaimed offender by the court, stated a spokesperson from the CBI.
A non-bailable warrant had been issued against Priya by the Special Judge, CBI cases, Patna, declaring her a proclaimed offender.
The CBI has registered 24 cases since 2017 related to the embezzlement of approximately Rs 1,000 crore of government funds through record manipulation between 2003 and 2014. The scam came to light after the death of the founder (Devi) of the NGO based in Bhagalpur, Bihar. CBI took over the investigation on the request of the Bihar government. It was alleged that officials from the said NGO conspired with bank officials from various banks, including Bank of Baroda, Indian Bank, and Bank of India, to divert government funds into the NGO’s accounts using forged documents, explained the CBI spokesperson.
Several charge sheets have been filed by the agency in this case, which implicates several individuals, including a former district magistrate of Bhagalpur.
According to the allegations, SMVSS, which was working towards providing training to women, misappropriated government funds in collusion with bank officials and state government officials between 2003 and 2014.
The CBI’s investigation revealed that the ‘Samiti’, located in Sabour, Bhagalpur district, obtained checkbooks from banks and forged the signature of the district magistrate to transfer government funds into its own account. The probe further uncovered the involvement of nationalized banks and government officials in fraudulent fund withdrawals in Bhagalpur, Banka, and Saharsa districts.
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