Investigation into workers’ fund fraud in Odisha’s Rayagada district progressing at sluggish pace
State Labour Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia told the State Assembly that the accused officer had been suspended and disciplinary action was being initiated against her
The investigation into the massive fraud, where deceased individuals were falsely registered as workers under the Odisha Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare Board (OBOCWWB) and death benefits were fraudulently claimed, seems to be progressing at a sluggish pace.
Replying to a query on fraud detected in the Divisional Labour Commissioner (DLC), Rayagada in the State Assembly on Tuesday, Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, State Labour Officer, said, “The department has no idea as to how former DLO, Jasmin S. Sahoo had hoarded the ill-gotten money and how she spent the money. However, she has been suspended following a preliminary investigation and steps are being taken to take disciplinary action against her.”
It needs to be mentioned that the department complaint with Rayagada police says both Sahoo and her husband Raghunanda J. were involved in the misappropriation of government money by illegal transactions made in their Maysore-based bank account.
Ironically, the accused former DLO was suspended on June 6, and the department took more than a month to file a FIR against Sahoo although the magnitude and forgery adopted to carry out the misappropriation were rare. The DLC had filed a police complain on August 3.
Senior lawyers expressed concerns over the inordinate delay on part of police to arrest the accused officer while the department had already delayed in filing police complaint.
The Labour Minister said the department recommended the Economic Offence Wing of Odisha police to take over the investigation. Over the years, the EOW, Odisha has acquired the skill of investigating into crime involving money trail.
The fraud is a sensational case as sizeable numbers of dead persons were shown alive, subsequently they were registered with OBOCWWB and declared dead in order to claim death benefits under the board. In order to carry out the fraud, forged death certificates were issued and a labour union leader received 31 death benefits in his own bank account. The suspended DLO was accused of verifying nominee’s veracity by calling non-existent phone numbers such as 0000000000 and 1111111111. It alleged that similar frauds in connection to OBOCWWB have been committed in other districts too.
Anti-corruption activists said further delay would help culprits tamper with evidence and win over victims of these frauds.
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