ED unearths Rs 2.5 cr funds 'bungling', 121 mule accounts in Odisha forest dept

 The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has unearthed alleged financial misappropriation of Rs 2.5 crore in the Odisha forest department following raids at a range office in Kalahandi district.

The searches were carried out at the office of the Jaipatna Range in the Kalahandi south forest division.

The federal probe agency said in a statement that the action came about after it received an operational analysis report in a case of 'money mule accounts' from the financial intelligence unit (FIU).

Preliminary investigations suggested that certain forest department officials were involved in using a number of "mule accounts" to "divert" huge amounts of money and "misappropriate" funds meant for various government schemes.

Officials in the ranks of forest guard and ranger were involved in the opening of 121 mule accounts in the name of different individuals in which funds were received through NEFT from the range office.

This was followed by immediate withdrawals through ATMs, the statement said.

A mule account is a bank account used by scamsters to transfer illicit funds.

Many of these accounts were opened using the same mobile numbers. The total "diversion" of funds of the forest department is suspected to be more than Rs 2.5 crore, as per the ED.

The agency seized a number of ATM cards of mule accounts, mobile phones, withdrawal slips, digital devices, incriminating documents and an "illegal" suspected tiger skin during the searches.

By PTI