Bokaro, April 10 Investigations have revealed that more than ₹6 crore was allegedly withdrawn from the district treasury's salary disbursement account in Bokaro by a police department accountant, an official said on Friday.
Bokaro Deputy Commissioner (DC), Ajay Nath Jha, said that the amount was initially reported to be ₹4.29 crore, but the investigation has now revealed that it has increased to more than ₹6 crore.
"So far, it has come to light that the accused accountant withdrew more than ₹6 crore in the names of Ram Naresh Singh, Upendra Singh, S Kumar, and several others. Considering the seriousness of the matter, I have constituted a four-member inquiry team under the chairmanship of the Additional Development Commissioner," the DC said.
At the same time, a separate investigation is also underway at the state level, he said.
"The case of illegal withdrawal from the treasury is extremely serious. It has been taken up under the zero-tolerance policy. The investigation is ongoing, and strict legal action will be taken against all those found guilty," he added.
The accused, Kaushal Kumar Pandey, was arrested on Tuesday following an FIR lodged by treasury officer Gulab Chand Oraon at the Bokaro Steel City police station.
Initially, the case came to light regarding the withdrawal of ₹3.15 crore from the salary head of a sub-inspector.
Later, an inquiry at the drawing and disbursing officer (DDO) level on the e-Kuber Bill Management System revealed that ₹4.29 crore was fraudulently withdrawn 63 times over 25 months (from November 2023 to March 2026) under the salary head in the name of Havildar Upendra Singh, who had retired in July 2016.
Pandey admitted that he had continued to withdraw the money by editing the date of birth and account number of the retired havildar in the portal.