Budhlada Forest Range Officer held over Rs 52L fraud

Tribune News Service

Mansa, August 30

The VB today arrested Budhlada Forest Range Officer Sukhwinder Singh over allegations of embezzling money by preparing fake bills of bogus firms allegedly in connivance with then Mansa Forest Divisional Officer.

Sukhwinder has been arrested after being named as an accused on the charges of causing a loss of Rs 52.69 lakh to the government through embezzlement of Rs 45.69 lakh issued for the construction of cement tree guards and Rs 7 lakh for the bamboo tree guards.

In 2021, under an afforestation scheme, the Principal Chief Conservator, Punjab, had given an approval to the Mansa forest range to procure 5,872 RCC tree guards. Of these, 2,537 tree guards were to be got prepared by the Mansa Forest Range Officer at a cost of Rs 45.69 lakh.

Under the scheme, Sukhwinder “bought” 2,537 tree guards from two private firms. During the investigation about the GST numbers and contact numbers of the firms given on the bills, it was found the bills and firms were fake.

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