Govt official booked in J-K for embezzling funds

The police have registered a case against a government officer for allegedly embezzling funds meant for salaries of health department employees in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, officials said today.
A special team has been constituted to investigate the case and bring the culprits to book, they said.
The officials said that a junior assistant, posted with the chief medical officer's (CMO) office, was entrusted with the assignment of preparing and processing salaries of employees in the health department.
However, the official allegedly for "ulterior motives" and "committing a criminal breach of trust" forged various signatures and diverted salaries of two months of several employees to his personal accounts, they said.

"The police have detected both the personal accounts of the employee at the Jammu and Kashmir Bank's Bhalla Bhaderwah Branch," the officials said.
The bank manager concerned was directed to freeze the accounts and efforts are being made to arrest him, they said.

"A case under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code, including criminal breach of trust by a public servant, cheating and forgery was registered at the police station concerned," the officials said.
The police suspect the involvement of some senior level officers in the alleged embezzlement of funds, they said.
The officials said that the CMO's office has been asked to provide all relevant records pertaining to the case.