Dhubri, Sept 6: Police have arrested two more officials of the Panchayat and Rural Department for allegedly siphoning off development funds to the tune of Rs 52.72 lakh.
Altogether, four people have been apprehended in connection with the scam pertaining to the department under Gauripur Development Block in Assam's Dhubri district. Gauripur Block Development Officer (BDO) Khabir Uddin Ahmed and the accountant of the same block, Akhirul Islam, were held on Sunday. Earlier, two accredited engineers, Saddam Hussain and Abdullah Al-Masud Mollah, were arrested from a remote location of West Bengal on August 26, police said. A case was registered against the two engineers and a contractor, Jahidul Hoque, on July 8.
According to the FIR, the engineers had cleared bills worth Rs 52.70 lakh, while the contractor submitted fake bills to the department, which were cleared without ascertaining facts.
"During the course of investigation, involvement in siphoning the amount by the concerned BDO and accountant of the block came to light…" Officer in Charge of Dhubri Sadar Police Station Partha Pratim Gogoi said.
A search operation is underway to nab the contractor, he added.
