Gandhidham: Ration fund incharge of BSF battalion booked for ‘siphoning off’ Rs 26 lakh

The FIR quotes the deputy commandant as saying that he would produce papers of the enquiry at relevant time.

An assistant incharge of ration fund of the Gandhidham-based 150th battalion of Border Security Force (BSF), who has been on the run for the last four years, was booked by Kutch (east) police for allegedly siphoning off Rs 26.11 lakh from the ration fund.

The police FIR comes a few years after a personnel of the BSF’s Gandhidham battalion had shared a video on social media alleging poor-quality food and liquor being diverted to civilians.

Based on a complaint filed by Kalusinh Chundavat, the deputy commandant of the 150th battalion of the BSF late on Sunday, an FIR has been filed by the ‘A’ Division police station in Gandhidham against Mohammed.

In his complaint, Chundavat has stated that since the battalion shifted its base from Haryana to Gandhidham in 2016, Mohammed was assistant incharge of ration fund.

But he absconded on June 18, 2016. Bachchan Singh Bist, another officer who was appointed Mohammed’s successor, detected the alleged misappropriation of funds and reported the matter to his higher ups.

“The battalion had changed its base to Gandhidham in January 2016 and Mohammed absconded in June. During the six months period, he siphoned off Rs26.11 lakh from the ration fund and remains untraceable till date,” Gandhidham ‘A’ Division police sub-inspector Jyotsana Chavda said.

Chavda is the investigating officer of the case. According to the FIR, Mohammed is a native of Asara village in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh.

“After he absconded from the BSF camp, the matter was reported to the police and he has not reported back to the camp. After he absconded, an enquiry was initiated against Mohammed. Bacchchan Singh Bist was given the charge of assistant incharge of ration fund. He reported irregularities in the fund and therefore an audit was ordered. Later on, the Gandhidham shop-keepers from whom BSF used to purchase ration, started visiting BSF campus demanding their dues. Thus, it emerged that Mohammed had usurped Rs26.11 lakh of the ration fund of the BSF campus and used it for personal purposes,” the FIR quotes Chundavat as saying.

The FIR quotes the deputy commandant as saying that he would produce papers of the enquiry at relevant time.

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