Bokaro Treasury Scam: ₹10 Crore Money Trail Traced, Three Arrested

Ranchi– The Jharkhand CID has uncovered a financial trail of nearly ₹10 crore in connection with the Bokaro treasury fraud, marking a major breakthrough in the ongoing investigation.

Officials said that bank deposits worth ₹1.8 crore and an additional ₹18 lakh have been frozen after being traced to suspicious transfers originating from the treasury. The probe has so far led to the arrest of three individuals, including an accountant and two police personnel.

Those arrested include Kaushal Kumar Pandey, assistant sub-inspector Ashok Kumar Bhandari, and home guard personnel Satish Kumar. Authorities confirmed that the accused have been sent to judicial custody.

During searches at Bhandari’s residence, investigators seized documents linked to alleged disproportionate assets. These include land parcels in Bokaro and a multi-storey residential building suspected to have been acquired through незаконные gains.

According to investigators, Pandey is accused of siphoning off more than ₹6 crore from a treasury salary account by using multiple fake identities. The case was initially registered following a complaint by a treasury official.

The scam appears to be part of a broader pattern of financial irregularities across districts. Earlier in April, several other arrests were made in Hazaribag in connection with the alleged embezzlement of over ₹15 crore from police accounts over several years. Additional cases have also been reported from West Singhbhum and Chaibasa, pointing to systemic loopholes.

The FIR in the Bokaro case has been filed under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.

Following the revelations, Jharkhand Finance Minister Radha Krishna Kishore has ordered a comprehensive audit of all district treasuries to identify further irregularities and strengthen financial oversight.

Investigations are ongoing, with officials working to map the full extent of the fraud and identify additional individuals involved.