Sikkim Vigilance makes fourth arrest in GDZP salary scam

GANGTOK,: Sikkim Vigilance Police on Tuesday arrested a Head Assistant of Tourism Department as part of its ongoing investigations over alleged cheating and misappropriation of Gangtok District ZillaPanchayat salaries and JalJeewan Mission Security Deposit.

It is the fourth arrest by the Sikkim Vigilance Police in this scam by the accused government servants, said to be running into crores of rupees.

Earlier this year, the Vigilance Police arrested two accountants and a retired senior Accountant-cum-Drawing & Disbursing Officer of Gangtok District ZillaPanchayat (GDZP) on the same charges.

The two accountants were arrested in February while the third accused was arrested in April.

The latest arrest of the Tourism Department Head Assistant on August 11 was on these charges of conspiracy and receipt of funds in her bank account from the misappropriated amounts fraudulently and dishonestly withdrawn from the government accounts of Gangtok District ZillaPanchayat and JalJeewan Mission Security Deposit, said the Sikkim Vigilance Police in a media statement.

A search was conducted at the residence of the accused, and incriminating materials relevant to the investigation were seized. The accused is being held in custody for further interrogation, said the Vigilance Police.

The Vigilance probe commenced earlier this year following a written complaint received from the GDZP Sachiva. An FIR was registered against the accused public servants, charging them with conspiracy, cheating, and forgery.

It is alleged that during 2018-25, the accused officials, who were responsible for preparation of the monthly salary bills of the GDZP, had dishonestly, wilfully, and illegally inflated their own salary bills regularly and forwarded to the bank a false and fabricated list of payees for disbursement of monthly salaries.

The inflated salary amounts were credited to the respective bank accounts of the three accused public servants.

According to the Sikkim Vigilance Police, the accused public servants continued to draw huge figures of salaries with apparent impunity, causing a deliberate and undue pecuniary loss to the government exchequer running into crores of rupees. They also allegedly siphoned off huge funds running into crores of rupees from various other official accounts of the GDZP, said the Vigilance Police.

The Sikkim Vigilance Police said it remains committed to uphold integrity, transparency, and probity in public administration. Citizens are encouraged to report their complaints or share any relevant information on corruption, misconduct, and malpractices in public works, involving public servants, in the office of Sikkim Vigilance Police, Secretariat Annexe I, SonamTsheringMarg, Gangtok or email at dir.vig-sik@sikkimg.gov.in, it was informed.