Guwahati: ED attaches Rs. 1.05-cr property of official in NF Railways fund scam

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The Guwahati Zonal Office of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has launched prosecution against Sanjoy Chakraborty, the then Sr Section Officer (Accounts), Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR), and 2 others, and provisionally attached movable properties worth Rs. 1.05 crore under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in a case involving money laundering of NF Railways funds amounting to Rs. 5.13 crore.

ED initiated an investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by CBI Guwahati against Sanjoy Chakraborty & others for offences under various sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act (Amendment), 2018, in respect of embezzlement of funds to the tune of Rs. 5.13 crore.

The ED investigation revealed that Sanjoy Chakraborty, while posted in the Accounts Department of NFR and during post-retirement contractual employment, abused his official position by manipulating the Integrated Payroll & Accounts System (IPAS) of NF Railways. He created 24 fake or fictitious bills by fraudulently replacing the genuine beneficiary’s bank account numbers with those of two firms, namely M/s Intimate & M/s RC Computer Solution, operated by him in his wife’s and daughter’s names, as well as directly in his own bank accounts.

In this manner he siphoned off Rs.5.13 crore of Northeast Frontier Railways funds. Part of these proceeds of crime, to the tune of Rs. 1.43 Crore, was further diverted to family members and relatives of the then Senior Divisional Finance Manager, NF Railways, who conspired with Sanjoy Chakraborty in the fraud, in relation to which movable properties valued at more than Rs. 1 crore have been attached by ED. The money so diverted was layered through multiple bank accounts and used for acquiring movable assets, insurance policies, household goods, and incurring other personal expenses.

In connection with this case, ED has earlier issued one Provisional Attachment Order attaching movable assets to the tune of Rs.2.42 crore. Thus, the total attachment in this case stands at Rs.3.47 crore so far.

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