India News | Punjab Vigilance Bureau Arrests Forest Range Officer for 'embezzlement' of Govt Funds

Chandigarh, Aug 30 (PTI) The Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested the forest range officer of Budhlada on Tuesday for alleged embezzlement of government funds.

Sukhwinder Singh was nabbed for allegedly causing a financial loss to the state exchequer by committing embezzlement of funds amounting to more than Rs 45 lakh for preparing cemented tree guards and Rs 7 lakh for bamboo tree guards, in connivance with the then Divisional Forest Officer Mansa, Amit Chauhan, and others, a spokesperson of the Vigilance Bureau said here.

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"The accused prepared fake bills of bogus firms and withdrew the money by diverting government funds to different bank accounts," the spokesperson was quoted as saying in an official statement.

He said an FIR dated June 6 was registered under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Vigilance Bureau Flying Squad police station in Mohali.

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"During the investigation, it was found that Sukhwinder Singh was posted as the Forest Range Officer, Budhlada from November 2021 and at that time, Amit Chauhan, IFS, was also posted as the Division Forest Officer, Mansa.

"In the year 2021, under the compensatory afforestation scheme, the Principal Chief Conservator, Punjab had given an approval to the Mansa forest range for the procurement of 5,872 tree guards, out of which 2,537 tree guards were to be prepared by the Forest Range Officer, Mansa at a total cost of Rs 45.69 lakh," the spokesperson said.

He said under the scheme, Singh got 2,537 cemented tree guards manufactured by two private firms and obtained the purchase bills from the latter.

"During the investigation about the GST numbers and contact numbers of these firms written on their bills, it was found that no firm exists at those addresses. The GST numbers mentioned on the bills were not issued by the department concerned, which clearly showed that the bills were fake and the firms were also bogus," the official said.

He further said the amount of the budget was withdrawn in cash on Singh's request. During the investigation, it was found by the Vigilance Bureau that the forest range officer had embezzled Rs 45.69 lakh with regard to the cemented tree guards.

It was also found that in December 2021, Singh had purchased bamboo tree guards worth Rs 7 lakh from a firm through different bills. But this firm was also non-existent at the said address and the PAN number written on the bills was fake.

The spokesperson said Singh conspired with Chauhan and others to prepare bogus bills of fake firms with fake signatures.

"He transferred the government money to a different bank account and cash was withdrawn, thereby causing a financial loss to the treasury by embezzling the total funds of Rs 52.69 lakh released to purchase different types of tree guards," he said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)