Jharkhand News : A Special Court of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Wednesday rejected the bail applications of three accused in the high-profile Bokaro Treasury scam. The court denied relief to Accounts Branch SSI Ashok Bhandari, Home Guard Satish Kumar, and Kajal Mandal, dismissing their petitions after hearing arguments from both sides.
The case pertains to the alleged illegal withdrawal of nearly ₹11 crore from the treasury in Bokaro. The alleged fraud came to light after suspicious salary-related payments and unauthorized withdrawals were detected in the accounts section of the Bokaro Superintendent of Police’s office. Following an audit report by the Accountant General (AG) that highlighted financial irregularities, the state’s Finance Department ordered a detailed investigation.
During the preliminary inquiry, investigators found evidence of large-scale financial irregularities, leading to the registration of an FIR in Bokaro. The investigating agencies initially arrested the prime accused, Kaushal Pandey, who was associated with the accounts branch, and later arrested several other individuals allegedly linked to the scam. All were subsequently remanded to judicial custody.
The investigation later revealed that the alleged illegal withdrawals were not confined to Bokaro. Similar suspected irregularities were reportedly detected in treasuries at Hazaribagh, Chaibasa, Ranchi, and Ramgarh, indicating that the case may involve a wider state-level financial scam. Investigators are continuing to collect evidence related to the alleged misuse of government funds and irregularities in the payment process.
With the rejection of their bail pleas, the three accused will remain in judicial custody. The investigation and legal proceedings are continuing, while authorities probe additional aspects of the case, including financial transactions and the possible involvement of other individuals.
