The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has booked three persons, including two officials from the Coimbatore Corporation, on charges of misappropriation of funds totalling ₹9.9 lakh between 2015 and 2016.
Sources in DVAC said that a First Information Report (FIR) was registered on May 2 based on a complaint by Inspector of Police, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, Coimbatore, R. Ezhilarasi. The FIR named Assistant Town Planning Officer of south zone R. Issac Arthur and Executive Engineer of JNNURM section R. Sasipriya of the Coimbatore Corporation along with contractor P. Elango as the accused.
Arthur and Sasipriya were Junior Engineer (west zone) and Assistant Executive Engineer (west zone) respectively between January 23, 2015 and January 6, 2016. The contractor had allegedly colluded with the officials by creating “bogus bills” regarding works in Bashyakaralu Road situated in Ward No. 23 in west zone such as repair of footpath and desilting of storm water drains without carrying out the works. The officials then made a payment of ₹4,96,157 on January 6, 2016.
Similarly, the contractor “created bogus bills without carrying out work” at Venkatasamy Road in the same ward, for which the two officials paid ₹5 lakh on January 6, 2016.
The three accused had “conspired to misappropriate the funds of the corporation,” the FIR said.
Further, Arthur and Sasipriya had “entered false statements in official records and used the same as genuine, falsified the accounts maintained in the corporation office, west zone and finally misappropriated the public funds totalling ₹.9,96,157,” according to the FIR.
The DVAC booked the two officials under six sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) including section 120B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy), 409 (Criminal breach of trust by public servant) and 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating) along with sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The third accused was booked under five sections of the IPC including section 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) along with sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Further investigations are on, the sources said.
