Rs 88 lakh fraud: Top cop moves HC for anticipatory bail

Cuttack: Senior IPS officer Joydeep Nayak, who is facing a vigilance case for allegedly misappropriating Rs 88 lakh in the name of imparting computer training to SC/ST students, today filed a petition in the Orissa High Court seeking anticipatory bail.

The vigilance, which has named Nayak as the prime accused in the high profile case of financial irregularities, has arrested five others for their alleged involvement in the case. They are additional SP Basanta Pradhan, former stenographer Pracheta Mishra, owner of Cuttack-based Axis Computer Asutosh Mishra, general manager of Axis Computer Chandi Charan Patnaik and Mamata Rout, owner of a printing press, in connivance with whom he had allegedly misappropriated the amount.

However, the anti-graft agency could not nab the 1991-batch IPS officer as he was undergoing treatment at Safadarjung Hospital in Delhi.

The misappropriation took place when Nayak, a Tripura cadre officer on deputation to Odisha during the period between 2012 and December last year when he was the IG of State SC/ST Protection Cell and Human Right Protection Cell (HRPC).

Vigilance sources said no tenders were floated to select a training partner. Besides, false and fabricated documents, bills, utilisation/completion certificates were also furnished to misappropriate the funds.