NEW DELHI: Following a recent recommendation for a CBI probe into an alleged spurious drugs case, Delhi’s L-G VK Saxena has approved another CBI investigation. This new case involves an alleged scam in the Department of Forest and Wildlife, amounting to Rs 223 crores.
Officials from Raj Niwas disclosed on Wednesday that the CBI has been granted permission to investigate two officials, Parasnath Yadav and Alam Singh Rawat, from the department’s accounts section. The duo is accused of embezzling Rs 223 crores from government funds in collusion with officials from the Bank of Baroda.
The CBI had previously registered a case against Yadav and Rawat under the Prevention of Corruption Act. This followed an initial inquiry by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the city government, as per officials.
Yadav and Rawat, serving as the Senior Account Officer and Assistant Account Officer respectively, are alleged to have conspired criminally with LA Khan, the former Senior Manager of Bank of Baroda’s Paharganj Branch, among others. They are accused of illegally and unauthorizedly transferring Rs 223 crores from the forest department’s sundry account to a fictitious savings account.
This fraudulent account was opened at the same branch under the guise of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), utilizing a forged letter from the Forest Department, officials added.
Currently, Yadav, a Group ‘A’ officer, is working as a Pay and Accounts Officer in the Principal Accounts Office. His file for CBI investigation was forwarded to the L-G by the Directorate of Vigilance (DoV) via the National Capital Civil Services Authority (NCCSA). Rawat is presently serving as the Accounts Officer at Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital, Pitampura.
