Ganderbal: A major embezzlement in Education department Ganderbal has been unearthed involving almost Crores of money falsely drawn by a clerk spanning over a decade.
While the inquiry by the department is still ongoing two employees have been suspended of services including main accused Junior Assistant Mohd. Ismail Rather And Headmaster Gh. Nabi Tantray.
Ismail was working as Clerk.
“The internal inquiry is focused on Ismail,” sources confided.
According to officials the scam came to fore when Ismail Harv asked principal to sign a bill to withdraw salary for a female teacher.
“The principal counter checked the bill with the treasury office, sensing the salaries have been already withdrawn. To his shock the treasury told him that the salary to the specified name has been credited already. It’s called double withdrawal,” sources privy to matter said.
Sources also confided that the principal abruptly cancelled the bill and informed higher ups and a preliminary investigation unearthed a scam by Ismail which could span their decades.
A source confided that he has know Ismail for almost 25 years and the investigation could unearth a lifelong of his activity and he also claimed that the primary focus could be his work since 2005 or 2010.
”It still is a huge amount of time,” he said.
Anither source confirmed rob INS that Ismail had approached bank to let him credit the ‘embezzled amount into the account’.
”We have learnt that he has already provided nine lakhs but the amount embezzled could be much more,” he said.
They also claimed that investigators found that he recently would withdraw fraudulently salaries of five teachers.
Official privy to inquiry in the districts said that Ismail would first get the signatures of the concerned principal and the forge documents, which they claim has been accepted by Ismail as well.
“Then he would get counter signature so from DDO,” he said.
They also said since he was a known person in the department officials in good faith would sign the documents without getting a whiff of being cheated for years altogether.
“ Even former principals of the institute might have been cheated or where they in connivance with him. All is going to be probed,” they claimed.
“It could be an embezzlement of crores of rupees and we are being told that till now the inquiry committee believes they know almost 55 lakhs have been embezzled,” he claimed.
Chief Education officer Ganderbal Sheikh Gayas-ud-din confirmed to INS that a scam has been unearthed and two officials are under suspension with main accused a clerk.
“ We have suspended him and the principal. Inquiry is going on and in day or two will submit the report,” he said, adding that the concerned school was creating impediments by not providing the concerned with records.
Sourced told INS the District office of education Deptt has demanded that a special investigation team be formulated with accounts experts by the Directorate of school education Kashmir and after departmental inquiry the case be forwarded to Police.
“He has shocked whole community and al those who have worked with him and all are under scanner,” an official said.
The inquiry committee, if sources are to be believed, are also looking at the role of other officials as well.
“ We want to confirm that was he acting alone or was he being patronised and are Theo others who were partnering in crime,” he said.
The repoet is expected to be tabled in two days that will give a picture as to how much amount has been embezzled by the clerk over the years.
