A staff member of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (Borough V), Umesh Kumar Das (35), has been arrested for allegedly cheating at least two women beneficiaries of the government’s Lakshmir Bhandar scheme by diverting their aid to unauthorized bank accounts.
Das, originally from Koderma, Jharkhand, manipulated the bank account details of the women to reroute the government aid. Police say he opened two mule accounts using the women’s documents—without their knowledge or consent—and funneled the scheme’s funds into these accounts.
The police initiated the investigation following a complaint by Bhushan Prasad Singh (38) of Durga Charan Mitra Street. Singh reported that his wife and sister-in-law had not received Lakshmir Bhandar funds for the past three years. The complaint alleged that unknown persons induced them to provide documents under false pretenses, leading to the opening of unauthorized accounts in the Borough V area at 22 Surya Sen Street.
The Muchipara police registered a case and, using bank records and tip-offs, traced the fraudulent activity to Das.
Police sources also revealed that a similar complaint surfaced recently in the Girish Park area, indicating possible multiple victims.
“Investigations are ongoing to determine if Das has accomplices or is involved in other cheating cases,” said a Muchipara police officer.
