Five arrested in flood relief scam sent to police custody

Mumbai, Nov 15 (UNI) Special Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) court today remanded the five government employees, arrested by the ACB in connection with misappropriation of July 26 flood relief fund, to police custody till November 18.

All the five -- Satish Salunkhe, Ashok Govind Kadam, Raghunath Bansode, Nana Loke and Vishnu Magam -- were produced before ACB Judge P N Deshmukh for police custody in the court. After hearing both the sides, they were remanded to police custody.

Defence counsel for the accused prayed for judicial custody as the alleged misappropriation compensation fund involved was very meagre and no incriminating documents were found during the raid at their residence. All of them were ready to deposit the misappropriated amount and would be available before the investigating officers as and when required for interrogation.

Prosecution, however, demanded for the police custody for further custodial interrogation as the total amount involved in the scam was not meagre and they had also made some bogus receipts of the unaffected parties to earn money.

All the arrested persons were government and semi-goverment employees and members of the flood relief distribution team, set up for last year's July 26 flood victims in the metropolis.

The ACB had earlier arrested two employees in this connection on the basis of an enquiry conducted this year, and they are lodged in judicial custody.

UNI PVN SSS-OBB