In a significant development, the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Varanasi police arrested Jitendra Singh, an assistant engineer of the Uttar Pradesh Rajkiye Nirman Nigam (UP RNN), from Lucknow. Singh was involved in a Rs 7 crore embezzlement case related to tourism department projects in Ghazipur from 2012-13.
Singh, who was posted as a junior engineer (civil) during the project period, was responsible for overseeing six tourism development and beautification sites in the Bhadaura block of Ghazipur. The projects were assigned to the Varanasi unit of RNN.
SP Pradeep Kumar of the EOW informed that Singh was among 26 accused named in the 2017 case, which was filed due to substandard work and incomplete projects causing a substantial financial loss to the government. Although charges had been pressed against 14 accused, no action was previously taken against Singh and 11 others.
Singh, who had since been promoted and posted as an assistant engineer in Lucknow, was apprehended following a raid led by EOW Inspector Sunil Kumar Verma.
Investigations revealed that the accused officials and contractors left the projects unfinished and compromised on quality standards. An advance payment of Rs 2.41 crore was made to 32 firms involved. The case was initially registered at Gahmar police station in Ghazipur and later transferred to the Economic Offence Wing.
Legal proceedings against Jitendra Singh have now commenced as authorities aim to hold those responsible accountable for the massive tourism fund scam.
