Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, May 1: A 15-day extension has been given to the Crime Branch (CB) on inquiry into misappropriation of Security Related Expenditure (SRE) of Rs 115.68 crore provided by the Government of India for “Carriage of Constabulary and Hiring of Vehicles” to the Jammu and Kashmir Police during Parliamentary and Assembly Elections 2014.
Highly placed sources said the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Crime Branch Srinagar, and SSP Crime Branch, Jammu had submitted their preliminary report to the Crime Headquarters last week. But the Crime Headquarters after reviewing the reports of the two SSPs have given them 15 days more time to thoroughly investigate the case.
As the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India’s report has been prepared on the documents provided by the 9 Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) of Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Crime Branch is going ahead with investigations carefully so that there is no lacunae as it can dent the agency’s image.
Sources said that the two SSPs have been asked by the Crime Branch headquarters to thoroughly probe all aspects and related matters so that a considerable view is taken. They have been asked to cross check all the information as the frauds found by the CAG are well documented.
Sources further said that after the two SSPs will submit their report to the Crime Headquarters later this month, the Headquarters will cross check every detail submitted by them before submitting a fact finding report to the Police Headquarters. They said that Crime Branch may recommend thorough probe into the multi-crore scandal.
Sources said that Crime Branch may soon issue a Public Notice asking the Transporters and Taxi operators who had rented taxis and buses to the Police during Assembly and Parliamentary Elections 2014 about the payment they have received from the Police. They will also ask them about the bribes if any they have paid to the police from the amount which they have received as cheques.
Sources said that the SSP PCR Jammu has not so far submitted documents relating to the “Hiring of Vehicles and Carriage of Constabulary” sought by the Crime Branch while all other DDOs have submitted the documents. It may be mentioned here that Police Headquarters had already ordered investigations into alleged frauds in “Hiring of Vehicles and Carriage of Constabulary” by PCR Jammu soon after the 2014 elections. The Staff Officer of the IGP conducted the investigations and submitted it to Police headquarters but the findings of the probe and action taken has never seen the light of the day.
In the meantime, another probe conducted by the Police on a complaint that was lodged before the Police Headquarters in May last year by four police men including an officer.
A complaint (dated May 21, 2015, copy with Excelsior) sent to the Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police about the SSP Srinagar has highlighted that a fraud was conducted by the officer in “Hiring of Vehicles and Carriage of Constabulary” during 2014 elections.
Police headquarters on receiving the complaint had immediately ordered probe which has not seen light of the day but same fraud was later detected by the CAG.
The complaint has names of around a dozen of officers of Srinagar Police who were part of Rs 88 lakh fraud conducted in “Hiring of Vehicles and Carriage of Constabulary” during Assembly and Parliamentary Elections 2014. The complaint says that the vehicles were hired from Srinagar and Pulwama for the elections in Srinagar and some of the vehicles were shown hired when checked with RTO Srinagar and ARTO Pulwama were found to be two wheelers.
The complaint says that the SSP Srinagar got at least 7-8 Inspectors and Sub-Inspectors transferred from Pulwama district where he was posted earlier and they were posted in Srinagar district at key positions to facilitate the fraud. The officer posted his aides at strategic locations like In-charge Establishment, In-charge Accounts in MTO where the fraud took place.
The complaint says that fictitious bills amounting to Rs 88 lakh were prepared while the actual amount was Rs 8 lakh. It says that most of the vehicles shown hired were not hired at all. It further says that fictitious and fabricated documents were prepared and sent to the treasury.
The complainant had demanded that the fake and fabricated taxi bills, fuel vouchers and log sheets should be seized and the probe ordered against the officers involved in the fraud.
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