Ajmer, May 9: A North-Western Railway official, allegedly involved in a Rs 2.5 crore fraud, was arrested after being caught burning currency notes worth Rs 2.5 lakh at his residence here in order to destroy evidence against him, an official said.
The accused Ashok Mangal, posted as divisional financial officer, Bikaner, was under surveillance of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) for some time for his links with accounts assistant Mujaffar Ali Bohra, who allegedly made cheque payments of Rs 2.5 crore in their own favour from the Railways accounts.
Bohra, who was suspended and is absconding, made the payments when Mangal was posted in Ajmer a year ago and the RPF was investigating the embezzlement charges against him, the official said.
Yesterday, a jawan keeping a watch near Mangal's house noticed smoke at the backside of the residence and upon rushing there found Mangal, who had suspected that his activities were being observed, burning the currency notes.
“Rs. 2.5 lakh were burnt by the officer and Rs 1.5 lakh unburnt cash was seized. It is suspected that the amount he burnt could be high than the estimated amount,” a RPF official said. PTI
