EOW arrests mastermind in Rs 5 crore govt fund siphoning case

Bhubaneswar, Jan 6: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested the mastermind in connection with embezzlement of Rs 5 crore govt funds in Subarnapur district. The investigating agency arrested the accused identified as Bikash Kumar Mansingh from Rourkela on Tuesday. Police said that the case was registered on the report of CDMO, Subarnapur. It is alleged in the FIR that an amount of Rs 5.01 crore has been unauthorisedly diverted from the account of Zilla Swasthya Samiti, National Health Mission (NHM),Subarnapur on April 7 by hacking Public Financial Management System (PFMS) of NHM. “During investigation, it is ascertained that Mansingh is the proprietor of M/s Naturals and has been maintaining his account with Central Bank of India, Main Branch, Rourkela. During the month of March last year he entered into a criminal conspiracy with the previously arrested accused persons namely, Rajkishore Nayak, Ananta Charan Pradhan, Abinash Pradhan and Samir Kumar Pati. They generated one e-cheque amounting to Rs 5.01 crore by unauthorisedly hacking the portal of NHM system. Later they manufactured duplicate seal of ADMO and CDMO, Subarnapur and put the same on the e-cheque and thereafter placed that e-cheque at bank for clearing,” said a police official. During investigation the mobile handset used for manufacturing of e-cheque has been seized along with other incriminating articles. Out of siphoned amount, an amount of Rs 3.30 crores has been freezed during investigation.