Special Judge Anti- Corruption, Pulwama has dismissed a bail plea by a junior engineer of R&B department accused of misappropriating funds worth over Rs 2.67 core, in collusion with the officials of two telecom companies, on account of damage caused to the roads due to laying of optical fibre cables.
“The perusal of the CD file reveals that the case is at the sensitive stage of its investigation, the matters which are specifically within the knowledge of the (accused) are being investigated, much more clinching evidence is expected to be collected as revealed from the record,” said Shazia Tabasum, Special Judge Anti-Corruption Pulwama.
The court said granting bail to the accused, Hakeem Imtiyaz Ahmad, would be detrimental to the fair investigation of the case. Underscoring that corruption has destroyed the basic economic fabric of the society, the court said this malpractice was responsible for the drain in the economy which has resulted that the rich were becoming richer and the poor were rendered poorer day by day.
The court said the accused “with his nefarious acts” has misappropriated government funds in crores, thereby causing great loss to the public exchequer, while rejecting the bail plea.
Public prosecutor Anti-Corruption Court, Pulwama Muhammad Ashraf Pandlth represented the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
The JE was arrested recently by ACB for opening a fake bank account in the name of Assistant Engineer R&B department Shopian in Axis Bank, branch Arhama Shopian.
As per the ACB, during the probe it surfaced that Rs 2,67,31411 stands deposited in the form of demand drafts in the account as restoration charges on account of damages caused to the roads due to laying of the cables.
“The entire amount was subsequently withdrawn by the junior engineer over a period of time and partially transferred it to his own personal account and in the account of one Niymat Electricals/Niymat Ali,” the ACB said.
The R&B division Shopian, the ACB said, has got no official account operational in Axis Bank and the department operates only through J&K Bank.
The ACB probe revealed that the accused with malafide intentions and by abusing his official position hatched a conspiracy with the officials of the cellular companies and contractors which resulted into misappropriation of government funds, constituting a grave criminal misconduct.
The accused has been booked for committing offences under section 5(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act and penal code’s sections 420, 468, 471 and 120-B which according to the ACB amount to grave criminal misconduct.