Police nab accused in Kolkata, wider nexus suspected
PANAJI
Porvorim police have arrested a second accused in the misappropriation of Rs 5 crore funds allotted by the Centre to Goa Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). The accused was nabbed in Kolkata, where a police team had been tracking his movement since May 24.
The arrest followed days after businessman Robin Paul, 41, from West Bengal, was taken into custody. About Rs 2 crore from the embezzled amount had reportedly been transferred into his personal bank account. Sources said that based on his interrogation, police tracked the second accused and arrested him on Tuesday with the help of the Kolkata police. The team returned to Goa late that night after completing legal procedures.
Police also suspect a larger network with the possibility of nearly a dozen persons involved. Another team is currently camping in a different state to pursue further leads.
The prime accused, believed to be the mastermind, remains at large. He is said to have entered a nationalised bank branch and allegedly changed the mobile number linked to the official SSA accounts. This facilitated high-value transfers to private accounts, including the one held by Paul.
Sources stated that either gross negligence or deliberate collusion by bank officials may have facilitated the fraudulent transactions. The police have also not ruled out the possible involvement of SSA staff, stating that such access to confidential account details would have required internal collusion.
