Officer heading CID during Naidu’s arrest suspended

The Andhra Pradesh Government has suspended N Sanjay, a senior IPS officer who was heading Crime Investigation Department (CID) during Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's arrest in “skill development case' last year, accusing the official of “misutilisation of government funds”.

A government order issued on Tuesday said after a probe by the Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) Department, it was found that the 1996-batch officer -- Sanjay, currently Director General, AP State Disaster Response and Fire Services -- procured laptops and iPads and made payment “in a hurried manner, causing misappropriation of funds through abuse of office power and breach of public trust” last year.

The order alleged that Sanjay also issued work orders in January this year for conducting SC/ST awareness workshops without following the due procedure and made excess payments by "colluding" with a firm to the tune of over Rs 1.15 crore.

"The government after careful examination of the two V&E reports read above, have concluded that Sanjay (IPS) is the primary accused in misutilisation of government funds, and it is necessary to place the MoS (Member of Service) under suspension pending inquiry,” the order said.

Sanjay is the fourth senior IPS officer to face suspension after the TDP-led NDA government took reins of the administration in the state. Earlier, the Naidu-led government issued orders in September suspending three senior IPS officers, including a DG rank officer, for their alleged involvement in "hastily arresting" and "harassing" a Mumbai-based model without proper investigation in a case filed against her in Vijayawada.