Five more arrested in flood relief scam

Mumbai, Nov 15 (UNI) Five more government employees were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for their alleged involvement in the 'Flood Relief Scam' of July 26 last year.

ACB sources said the accused -- Satish Salunkhe (Superintendent Udyan, Maharashtra Government), Nana Shankar Loke (clerk in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Education department), Vishwanath Magam (Sales Tax clerk, Bandra), Raghunath Bandsode (employee of Milk Dairy) and Ashok Govind Kadam (BEST conductor at Ghatkopar depot) -- were members of the flood relief distribution team.

Earlier, Prakash Waghmare (Rent Collector, Deputy Collector Office, Mulund) and Kisan Nalavade (clerk at Deputy Collector Office, Mulund) were arrested, who are now in judicial custody. With the arrest, the total number of arrested persons has gone up to seven.

Sources said the accused had made fake receipts to show that the excess amount was paid to the flood-affected people at Mulund in North East Mumbai. They had embezzled a sum of Rs 90,500 from the relief fund.

They had also made some bogus receipts of the unaffected parties and earned money, the sources said and added they would be produced in the ACB special court this afternoon.

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