Ranchi, April 10 Jharkhand Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore on Friday ordered a statewide investigation into alleged fraudulent withdrawals of salaries from government treasuries.
He has also written to the Home Secretary and the Director General of Police, directing a review of districts where accountants and bill clerks have been posted for extended periods.
In a separate communication to the Finance Secretary, the minister has sought a detailed probe report into withdrawals made under salary heads across the state.
These directives were issued following information from the Principal Accountant General, during which cases of fraudulent withdrawals have already been confirmed in the treasuries of Bokaro and Hazaribagh.
Five individuals have been arrested in connection with the Rs 28 crore scam at the Hazaribagh Superintendent of Police (SP) Office treasury.
In Bokaro, investigations have revealed that more than Rs 6 crore was allegedly withdrawn from the treasury's salary disbursement account by a police department accountant.
Reports of similar irregularities have also emerged from Palamu.
The Palamu Deputy Commissioner has been asked to conduct a thorough inquiry and submit a report, after which further clarity on the matter will be established.
The Finance Minister has also noted that under the treasury code, the responsibility for such withdrawals lies with the Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs), but no concrete action has been taken so far on this aspect.
He has instructed authorities to review the long-standing postings of accountants and bill clerks and take action in line with the finance department guidelines, which mandate the transfer of such personnel after three years in a single posting.