Police arrest 2 more in school fund fraud case

Panaji: Police on Friday arrested two more persons, including the mastermind, in connection with the alleged siphoning off of Rs 5.3 crore from the bank account of Goa Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (GSSA).

These funds were intended for the implementation of school education schemes. A total of seven persons have been arrested in the case to date.“Mriganka Joarder, 37, and Subhashis Sikdar, both residents of West Bengal have been arrested,” crime branch SP, Rahul Gupta, said.Gupta said the mobile phones of the accused persons, along with sim cards, were seized for further investigation.“Sikdar is believed to be the mastermind behind a major financial fraud involving the illegal withdrawal of Rs 1.8 crore from the GSSA Society’s account held at the Bank of India, Porvorim branch,” Gupta said.The SP further said Sikdar gained unauthorised access to a bank account through an associate named Alamin Mondal, and used forged cheques to withdraw govt funds. “Sikdar played a central role in planning and executing the fraud and was responsible for converting the stolen money into bank credits under fake identities or mule accounts, thereby attempting to hide the illegal origin of the funds,” Gupta said.“Joarder was involved in handling the laundered money. He managed another bank account registered under Sonum Auto Sale, owned by Sumanta Mondal. This account received Rs 49.4 lakh from the stolen funds. Joarder is suspected to have helped move the stolen money, making it harder to trace. His role appears to be crucial in concealing the fraudulent source of the funds,” Gupta said.