Bihar: A special vigilance court in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, has sentenced police constable Baby Kumari to five years in prison and imposed penalties totalling Rs 16.25 lakh in a fraud case involving alleged irregularities in salary payments and career progression benefits worth Rs 7 crore.
The case relates to alleged financial misconduct between 2006 and 2010, when Kumari and Sushil Kumar Choudhary, the then accountant at the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Muzaffarpur, were accused of manipulating salary bills and diverting funds meant for police personnel.
Special Vigilance Judge Suman Kumar Diwakar convicted Kumari on October 5. She was subsequently sent to Shaheed Khudiram Bose Central Jail in Muzaffarpur.
According to investigators, Choudhary allegedly altered bank account details in salary bills while retaining the names of the intended beneficiaries. The funds were then transferred to accounts linked to him and his family members, including Kumari and female constable Shakuntala Kumari.
The irregularities came to light after a bank manager reportedly noticed suspicious financial activity and alerted the SSP. Subsequent searches led to the recovery of cash, jewellery and documents related to land investments. Police recovered Rs 53 lakh from Shakuntala’s residence, Rs 2.40 lakh from Kumari’s house and Rs 84 lakh from Choudhary’s residence.
The Vigilance Investigation Bureau took over the probe on March 6, 2012, following a court order. Investigators found that Rs 17 lakh had allegedly been transferred to Kumari’s account, while Rs 3 crore each was transferred to the accounts of Choudhary and Shakuntala, bringing the suspected diversion to Rs 7 crore.
The case was initially registered at Muzaffarpur Town police station on October 1, 2010, following a complaint by the then Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters). A chargesheet was filed on September 21, 2012.
Choudhary, his wife Anita Choudhary and Shakuntala are facing separate trials before a sessions court.
