Nanded, Sept 23 (PTI) Police have unearthed alleged embezzlement of Rs 16.37 crore from government funds at the office of a tribal development project in Maharashtra’s Nanded district and registered a case against a clerk, who is absconding, officials said.
An inquiry found that 280 government cheques were allegedly used to transfer public money from the Ekatmik Adivasi Vikas Prakalp (Integrated Tribal Development Project) office at Kinwat in Nanded to private individuals, commercial establishments and other non-government entities, a police official said on Tuesday.
The irregularities took place between April 1, 2024 and September 16, 2026, during which the accused allegedly misused cheque registers and bank accounts to transfer funds using forged signatures of project officers, the official said.
The fraud was detected after project officer and assistant collector B Saravanan ordered an inquiry into discrepancies in the government accounts and cheque transactions, the police said.
The Kinwat police on Monday registered a case against a senior clerk of the office.
The investigation has since been handed over to the police’s Economic Offences Wing, and efforts are underway to nab the accused, the police added.
(PTI News)
