Chhattisgarh EOW files chargesheet in multi-crore tendupatta embezzlement case in Sukma

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has filed a chargesheet in a high-profile corruption case involving the embezzlement of crores meant for tendupatta (forest produce) collectors in Sukma district of Bastar division.

The case implicates a District Forest Officer (DFO), four forest officials, and nine managers of primary forest produce cooperatives in one of the state's most sensitive and Maoist-affected tribal regions. The chargesheet, spanning over 4,500 pages, was filed on Tuesday before the Special Anti-Corruption Court in Dantewada, under various sections of the IPC, including criminal conspiracy, forgery, and misuse of official position, along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018). According to the EOW chief Amresh Mishra, DFO Ashok Kumar Patel, while serving in Sukma Forest Division, abused his official position and colluded with subordinate forest officials and managers of tendupatta societies to divert a significant portion of the Rs 7 crore tendupatta bonus fund meant for collectors during the 2021 and 2022 collection seasons. Fake documents were allegedly prepared and used to siphon off the money without distributing it to the actual beneficiaries.

So far, the investigation has covered eight out of 17 targeted forest cooperatives, revealing embezzlement of Rs 3.92 crore. The affected areas include some of the most remote and Naxal-affected regions such as Madaiguda, Golapalli, Kistaram, Jagargunda, Chintalnar, Chintagufa, Bhejji, Konta, and Polampalli, where the bonus scheme was allegedly manipulated. Inhabitants of these tribal villages, who rely heavily on tendupatta collection for livelihood—were found to be unaware of the bonus scheme during the course of the investigation.

Their testimonies formed a critical part of the evidence presented in the chargesheet. Those named as accused in the case include Ashok Kumar Patel, former DFO, Sukma, other forest officials Chaituram Baghel, Devnath Bhardwaj, Manish Kumar Barse, and Podiyami Idima, cooperative managers Payam Satyanarayan alias Shatru, Mohd Sharif, C H Ramna (Chitturi), Sunil Nuppo, Ravi Kumar Gupta, Ayatu Korsa, Manoj Kawasi, Rajshekhar Puranik alias Raju, and B Sanjay Reddy. The EOW has invoked IPC Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 467, 468, 471 (forgery and use of forged documents), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and Sections 13(1)(a) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act against the 14 accused. Officials said that investigation is still ongoing for the remaining nine societies, suggesting the scam could be wider in scope than currently known. This is one of the largest tendupatta fraud cases ever investigated in Chhattisgarh’s Naxal belt, and the EOW’s probe is expected to expand further in the coming months.