Woman Arrested For Embezzlement Of Govt Funds In Odisha’s Kendrapada

Kendrapada: Odisha Police on Saturday arrested a woman for allegedly swindling around Rs 18 lakh government funds from a nationalised bank in Kendrapada district.

The accused has been identified as Babita Samal, the community resource person (CRP) of Juania Gram Panchayat (GP) under Aul block, and her daughter Baisakhi, the master bookkeeper of the panchayat.

According to sources, a complaint was filed against Samal and Baisakhi and by the president of the Gram Panchayat Level Federation (GPLF) of Juania GP Tilotama Behera for embezzling Rs 17.96 lakh from GPLF’s bank account by forging her signature.

While Baisakhi is on the run and efforts are underway to nab her, Babita was arrested on Saturday.

“The mother-daughter duo illegally withdrew the sum from the official account of the GPLF and transferred it to their own accounts. The fraud was recently uncovered by the local fund audit squad,” TNIE reported IIC Dilip Sahoo as saying.

The accused was booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and produced in Aul court on Saturday.

She was later remanded in jail custody after her bail plea was rejected, the officer added.