Team Herald
MARGAO: Following the arrest of a Margao municipality staffer in connection with the misappropriation of Rs 18 lakh from the feast fair revenues, the Green Goa Foundation (GGF) has now demanded the arrest of two other officers from the civic body who are allegedly implicated in the scandal.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
GGF has also warned that they will approach the High Court to recover the embezzled public funds and seek justice if these two officers are not arrested promptly.
“In spite of the circumstances, it is unfortunate that the accused, Yogheshwar Shetkar, a close aide of the concerned officer, executed a massive fraud exceeding Rs 18 lakh, right under the nose of the officer,” said Raison Almeida, Chairman of GGF.
He added that his organisation had been persistently raising the issue before various authorities for the recovery of public funds. Seven months after the scam came to light, Shetkar, who was absconding, was arrested on December 5 at the Margao railway station.
Almeida alleged that Shetkar was working under the concerned officer, making the officer directly responsible for the scam within the civic body.
“The officer was duty-bound to oversee the day-to-day cash registers of the council. Hence, this officer, along with another officer responsible for accounts, is directly accountable for the fraud, along with the person arrested,” Almeida stated.
He pointed out the unexplained delay in filing the FIR by the civic body, which has raised doubts amongst the public about the possibility of shielding Shetkar and the potential involvement of the two officers in this large-scale fraud.
“It is crucial for the recovery of public money and to ensure justice that these two officers are arrested immediately for a thorough investigation alongside the accused, Shetkar. We believe that unless these officers, under whose watch this fraud occurred, are arrested, the recovery of the stolen money may be impeded, resulting in further losses to the government treasury,” Almeida added.
GGF has urged the Superintendent of Police to take immediate action in this matter.
