Ex-cultural body chief, his deputy arrested for fraud
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Police’s crime branch has arrested the former director and the former deputy director of the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) — an autonomous organisation under the Union ministry of culture — for allegedly siphoning off scholarship fund meant to be disbursed among children for their contribution to various fields of arts.
Maintaining that they have arrested former CCRT director GC Joshi and former deputy director (finance) Anil Kohli, the police said the two men were allegedly involved in the siphoning off funds worth ₹50 lakh with the help of 11 other accused, who were arrested in August this year.
The previously arrested 11 had allegedly received the money meant for the children, changed bank account numbers and assisted the accused directors in the alleged scam, the police said.
Senior crime branch officers said the scam came to fore in February, 2018, after Joshi, Kohli and Sandip — an IT programmer appointed by them — developed differences over share of money as there was a lack of currency notes in banks during demonetisation. As a result, Joshi, the then director of CCRT, registered a police case in Dwarka.
Ajit Singla, additional commissioner of police (crime), said that Joshi had, in his complaint to the police, alleged major fraud in the department in the name of scholarships.
“After investigating the case, we had, in August, 2018, arrested 11 people, including IT programmer Sandip and an ex-employee of CCRT. Questioning of the 11 accused led us to the then CCRT director GC Joshi and the then CCRT deputy director (finance), Anil Kohli. After their role in the alleged scam was established, they were arrested Saturday, Singla said.
While Joshi (60) — who was the director of the CCRT between 2011 and July, 2018 — is a former Art History fellow of the University of Michigan, Kohli (60) — who retired from his post in April 2018 — is a BCom graduate from Delhi University, the police said, adding that both have been sent to judicial custody.
The CCRT grants scholarships in various artistic fields such as music, dance, drama, theatre, painting, craft to children aged between 10 and 14 years — until they turn 20.
Every year, in September or October, the CCRT invites applications for scholarship. A central selection committee then awards around 650 applicants with monthly scholarships.
In August 2011, Singla said, Joshi had appointed Sandip as an IT programmer on a contractual basis and posted him in the accounts section, which was under Kohli’s supervision.
“Sandip had access to the scholarship candidates and their bank account details. He roped in some of his friends, colleagues and the two directors in his plan of siphoning off grants money and offered them each shares from the scholarship money as commission. As per procedure, the scholarship section of CCRT sends a list of names of scholarship holders to the accounts section for release of grants. The accounts section forwards the same to the banks associated via registered official email ID for release of payment,” Singla said.
According to the police, Sandip used to manipulate the list by inserting details of his or his associates’ bank details so the money could be transferred to their accounts.
“This way, more than ₹50 lakh were peculated by the accused in two years — between 2015 and 2017,” the officer said.
In 2016, a dispute arose between Joshi, Kohli and Sandip. Finally, on March 8, 2018, Joshi terminated the services of Sandip prior to the completion of his contract period and filed a police complaint, wherein he accused Sandip of the fraud, Singla said.