Patna: A major scam has come to light in Bihar where crores of rupees were fraudulently withdrawn from the bank accounts of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Land Acquisition Office. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has found that this money was sent to gaming companies based in South Africa and the Philippines. The case is related to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 31.93 crore in 2019, which was first exposed in 2021.
The ED has now registered a money laundering case against the main accused, Sumit Kumar, who was then the manager at Kotak Mahindra Bank, his acquaintance Shashikant, and others involved. Officials said the money was invested in 21 different accounts of South African gaming company Bitway and Philippines-based company 12 Bet. This revelation has shocked everyone as government funds were misused for gambling abroad.
According to officials, the money was withdrawn from the bank by forging the signature of Pankaj Patel, who was the land acquisition officer at that time. The fraud was done in collusion with the bank manager. A case was earlier registered at Gandhi Maidan police station in Patna against Sumit Kumar, a resident of Ara, and other accused. The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) had investigated the embezzlement and filed a charge sheet earlier.
Now, after the EOU’s investigation, the ED will probe the case under money laundering laws as well. Officials said such scams raise serious questions about the safety of government money kept in banks. They are also checking if similar frauds have happened in other government departments or states using online gaming as a route to hide black money.
