Odisha Two held for embezzling Rs 3.67 cr govt fund

Sambalpur (Odisha), Apr 3 (PTI) Two persons were arrested for their alleged involvement in the embezzlement of Rs 3.67 crore government fund in an excise office in Odisha's Sambalpur, an officer said on Friday.
    The arrests were made in connection with a case registered on March 9, following a complaint lodged by the deputy commissioner of excise, after audit authorities detected the financial irregularities, Sambalpur SP Mukesh Kumar Bhamoo said.
    The police have arrested a suspended junior assistant and a retired employee of the department, he said.
    A preliminary investigation revealed that unauthorised sanction orders were generated through the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) portal in the name of a retired ASI, leading to excess withdrawal of pension and salary arrears between November 2022 and October 2025, he said.
    The accused persons have manipulated official records, including bill registers and cash books, and transferred the government funds to their bank accounts, Bhamoo claimed.
    The SP said the accused misused their official positions to manipulate records, generate fraudulent sanctions, and siphon off government funds, causing significant loss to the state exchequer and wrongful gain for themselves.
    The police have seized Rs 23.46 lakh in cash and frozen Rs 44 lakh deposited in different banks by the accused persons, he said.
    Further investigation is going on to nab other accused persons involved in the case, he added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)