3 weeks ago

Odisha Vigilance arrests three in Rs 55 lakh tank scam

Odisha Vigilance arrests three in Rs 55 lakh tank scam
3 held in Rs 55 lakh tank renovation scam · thehansindia.com

Some public workers in Odisha, India, are in trouble with the police.

They were in charge of fixing up a big water tank called the Patnaik Tank.

The police say the workers wrote down fake numbers in official record books.

The fake numbers made it look like more work was done than actually happened.

Some of the work was never done, and some was done badly.

Because the records looked correct, the government paid out a lot of money, about Rs 1.22 crore.

A check later showed that about Rs 55.69 lakh worth of work was missing or done badly.

Three people, two engineers and one contractor, were arrested.

They were taken to court and may face punishment for cheating and corruption.

The police are still checking whether anyone else was involved.

Key facts

Arrested
3 (D Yudhistir, Sanjeev Champati, Surendra Panigrahi)
Alleged loss
Rs 55.69 lakh
Amount released to contractor
Rs 1.22 crore
Project
Patnaik Tank reclamation and renovation
Location
Paralakhemundi, Gajapati district, Odisha
Fraud period
2019-2022
Investigating agency
Odisha Vigilance
Charges
Corruption, criminal conspiracy, forgery, cheating

Quotes

Vigilance SP Pradeep Pradhan

Spokesperson for Odisha Vigilance

“"The alleged fraud took place during the execution of the Patnaik Tank reclamation and renovation project between 2019 and 2022."”
thehansindia.com
“"The three accused have been booked under relevant provisions relating to corruption, criminal conspiracy, forgery and cheating."”
thehansindia.com

Sources

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