SRINAGAR: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday filed a chargesheet against 10 people, including nine former and serving public servants and a private contractor, in an alleged Rs 7.12 lakh embezzlement and fraud case linked to the construction of a steel bridge at Lastiyal-Kalaroose in Kupwara.
The accused include former Executive Engineers Mohammad Sultan Sheikh and Ajit Singh Chopra, besides other engineering and accounts officials of the PWD (R&B) Division, Kupwara, and contractor Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Lone.
According to the ACB, the bridge work was allotted to Lone in September 2010 with a stipulated completion period of three months. The contractor allegedly started the work after a considerable delay, completed only part of it and later abandoned the project.
The investigation found that government store material, including cement and steel, worth around Rs 5.63 lakh remained unaccounted for or was not recovered, the ACB said.
The bureau also alleged that a contractor’s cash deposit receipt (CDR) of Rs 73,000 was fraudulently released and encashed on the basis of a forged communication purportedly issued by the competent departmental authority.
In another instance, Bill Deposits amounting to Rs 81,400 were allegedly released despite outstanding government liabilities, the ACB said.
The agency alleged that the accused officials failed to properly safeguard government material, enforce contractual conditions and recover government dues, resulting in a total loss of Rs 7.12 lakh to the state exchequer.
Those chargesheeted include former Executive Engineers Mohammad Sultan Sheikh and Ajit Singh Chopra; former Assistant Executive Engineers Nazir Ahmad Shah and Abdul Rashid Dar; Junior Engineer Manzoor Ahmad Sumji; Assistant Accounts Officers Gh Qadir Bhat and Abdul Hamid Dar; former Cashier/Senior Assistant Ghulam Rasool Lone; Helper/Assistant Cashier Abdul Majeed Malik; and contractor Ghulam Mohi-ud-din Lone.
The ACB said the chargesheet was filed before the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, Baramulla, after obtaining the requisite sanction for prosecution against the serving public servants.
All 10 accused appeared before the court on Monday and were granted bail after furnishing bail and surety bonds as directed by the court.
The court has fixed November 25, 2026, as the next date of hearing.
