Somwarpet police arrests retired PDO in illegal money transfer case

Somwarpet: A retired Gram Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) has been arrested by Somwarpet police in connection with an illegal transfer of money by a data entry operator.

According to a complaint initially reported by Balakrishna himself at the police station, Sarita, a clerk and data entry operator at the Aiguru Gram Panchayat had allegedly transferred an additional amount of Rs 15,29,391 to her personal account from the Gram Panchayat's staff salary account between May 1, 2022, and November 10, 2023, in addition to her monthly salary.

The investigation has now revealed that the misappropriation of funds was due to the negligence of Balakrishna. The police took Balakrishna into custody a week ago, conducted an inquiry, and filed a chargesheet before presenting him to the court.

Sarita has already obtained anticipatory bail from the court. Last year, the Chief Officer of the Taluk Panchayat visited the Gram Panchayat and prepared a comprehensive report on the financial transactions, highlighting the misappropriation of funds.

Somwarpet police inspector Muddu Mahadeva, who is investigating the case, has said the probe is ongoing.