CBI books ex-Manipur CM in `332 cr embezzlement case
Apart from O. Ibobi Singh, the central agency sleuths also conduct raids at the residences of 3 former Chief Secretaries of the State and other accused officials
New Delhi: The CBI on Friday started conducting raids at the residence and premises of former Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh, three former Chief Secretaries of the state and two other former state government officials in connection with a Rs 332 crore embezzlement of government funds case.
The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against Ibobi, DS Poonia (IAS:1978), PC Lawmkunga (IAS:1979), O Nabakishore Singh (IAS:1984), Y Ningthem Singh, Ranjit Singh and other officials for allegedly using their positions at the Manipur Development Society (MDS) to misappropriate funds allocated for development work in the state.
Interestingly, the CBI's raids have also revealed the biggest name yet to be found possessing demonetised currency. Sources in the know said that as of Friday evening, CBI sleuths had found around Rs 26.49 lakh in demonetised currency at Ibobi Singh's premises in addition to Rs 11.47
lakh in cash and eight expensive cars.
The raids were conducted in Aizawl, Imphal and Gurugram at the residences of Poonia, Lawmkunga, Nabakishore Singh, Ningthem Singh and Ranjit Singh, during which the central agency found Rs 4 lakh more in cash along with a horde of documents relating to numerous bank accounts and at least 13 properties located across the country.
Sources with direct knowledge of the matter said that Ningthen Singh's premises had further demonetised currency worth around Rs 10 lakh. Ningthem was the erstwhile Project Director of the MDS. He also had papers pertaining to two sets of palatial houses and a double-storied home on 3,500 sq. yards of land with a swimming pool and garden in Imphal.
Officials added that Poonia's premises revealed papers relating to one flat in Gurugram's posh UniWorld City, One residential plot in Noida, two shops in Delhi's Dwarka, and one flat in South Delhi's Saket. In addition, the CBI also found documents relating seven different bank accounts at Poonia's residence.
Lawmkunga's residence revealed documents relating to nine more bank accounts, papers relating to a Hyundai dealership in Imphal registered to his sons and wife, one flat in Ghaziabad, one in
Gurugram, one two-storied building in Manipur, one four-storied building on a 7,000 sqft plot of land along with two site houses.
Officials here added that investigators had found papers of a double-stories house in Aizawl and a plot of 0.2 acre of agricultural land at the premises of Ranjit Singh.
According to officials, the accused embezzled almost 65 percent of the Rs 518 crore allocated to the Society over a period of time between
June 2009 to July 2017, while four key accused took
turns to head the MDS as its Chairman.
DS Poonia retired from service in 2013, following which Lawmkunga was appointed as Chief Secretary and when he retired in 2015, Nabakishore Singh was appointed as the Chief Secretary. While former CM Ibobi Singh was de-facto Chairman of the MDS, all the three top bureaucrats took turns to head the MDS, from where the funds were siphoned off.
The CBI has registered the case based on the consent accorded to it by the Government of Manipur. In fact, the case against the Congress politician, who is now the Opposition Leader in the Manipur Assembly was first registered by state police and later handed over to the central agency.
