Fishery officer steals Rs 18 Lakh by forgery.

The Times of India: Bhubaneswar: Tuesday, May 15, 2012.

As many as 745 fishermen were duped of Rs 18 lakh through forged signatures by the fishery extension officer (FEO) of Baliapal block in Balasore district, according to information obtained through RTI.

Documents revealed that the FEO, Shyamlal Dutta, did not disburse the amount to the fishermen under a saving-cum-relief scheme during 2007-08 and 2008-09.

As per the scheme, the fishermen had to deposit Rs 600 in nine months and the government promised to provide an equal amount to them for three low-income months. The scheme was touted as a lifeline for poor fishermen during lean seasons.

"A large number of fishermen from our village had to return empty handed from the fishery department office several times. Whenever they went to collect the money, the officer told them that the funds had not come for the last two years. We got suspicious and filed an RTI application to know the status of the government funds. We found that the money for two years was taken away by using forged signature of the beneficiaries," said Bikas Giri, a social worker in the area.

"We had deposited Rs 1200 for two years, but did not get a single paisa. The FEO had withdrawn all our money by forging our signatures and thumb impressions. We are poor people and depend on the money in lean period. We want our money back from the corrupt officer," said Ajay Khanda, a fisherman.

Assistant director of fisheries (Balasore) Sashikanta Acharya said, "The forgery was also pointed out in our internal audit as 'bogus and ambiguous'. After several reminders, the officer submitted the receipts and it was found that not a single signature was genuine. An enquiry was conducted and the beneficiaries also complained that they have not received a single paisa from the FEO. The officer has been kept under suspension. Besides, a police case has also been lodged against him and a departmental proceeding was ordered based on whose report disciplinary action will be taken against him." The supervisor of the block is in charge of FEO," he added.