Jajpur/Birajakhetra: A local court Tuesday sentenced a former district panchayat officer (DPO) and a cashier of the district panchayat office to five and seven years of imprisonment respectively after convicting them in the much-hyped fake cheque scam involving various panchayats in the district.
The court has also imposed a penalty of Rs 20,000 each of the convicts.
Chief judicial magistrate (CJM) Raj Kishore Lenka while pronouncing the order handed down five years of imprisonment to former DPO Brajaraj Biswal and seven years of imprisonment to cashier Bichitrananda Mohanty while acquitting head clerk Dillip Das in the case for want of evidence.
The CJM pronounced the order after examining the statements recorded by 20 witnesses and verifying documents in the case.
According to the case diary, an audit report claimed irregularities to the tune of Rs 1, 89, 86,987 in the district panchayat office which was committed by preparing false cheques in the names of various panchayats in between April 1, 2010 and July 21, 2011.
The district administration started a probe after publication of the audit report. The probe found the involvement of the then DPO Biswal and senior clerk-cum-cashier Mohanty in the fraud. During preliminary investigation, Mohanty admitted to the fraud and promised to return back the money in writing to the district administration.
Accordingly, he deposited a total of Rs 26 lakh in the government exchequer in four installments September 16, 2011, September 17, 2011, September 19, 2011 and September 22, 2011. He assured to pay back the remaining amount soon but absconded thereafter, it was learnt.
Since then, Mohanty stopped visiting the collectorate and was also found absent in his house. Later, then DPO Narayan Chandra Behera lodged a complaint against Mohanty over the financial irregularities in Jajpur police station.
Jajpur police registered a case which was later handed over for probe to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the state Crime Branch.
The EOW sleuths during their probe framed chargesheet against Biswal, Mohanty and head clerk Dillip Das for their involvement in the case. PNN
