Authorities have arrested two more individuals in connection with a scam involving the embezzlement of Rs11.63 lakh from a Tamil Nadu collectorate. The stolen funds were meant for a government scheme providing financial aid to families of Tamil natives who died abroad.
The newly arrested suspects have been identified as R Ragupathi (30) and T Karthick Kumar (31). Their arrests follow the earlier detention of S Pramod (31), A Subramani (31), and their accomplice M Dinesh (30) on Friday.
Police seized Rs1.15 lakh in cash, a gold ring, a two-wheeler worth Rs3 lakh, forged documents, and fake government seals from the trio arrested earlier.
The scam was exposed when an official from the collector’s office filed a complaint, alleging that internal staff members had stolen four cheques, forged the collector’s signature, and used counterfeit seals and documents to siphon off public funds.
All five accused have been remanded to judicial custody, and the investigation into the misuse of official documents and insider involvement is ongoing.