Patna: The Economic Offences Unit (EOU) will oversee tender processes across all government departments in Bihar, officials have said, in a move aimed at improving transparency following a series of complaints about alleged irregularities.
A five-member team has been set up within the unit to scrutinise bidding procedures, marking the first time the EOU has created a dedicated mechanism to monitor tenders. The team will function under the supervision of the unit’s superintendent of police, Pankaj Kumar.
Speaking at a press conference at the state police headquarters in Patna on Friday, Kumar said the decision followed repeated complaints about discrepancies in tenders issued by various departments. “The team will conduct a detailed examination of tender processes to ensure fairness and accountability,” he said.
The announcement came alongside updates on several ongoing investigations handled by the unit. Kumar said probes into illegal mining are currently underway in 17 districts, where officials have uncovered instances of companies bypassing mandatory OTP-based authentication in mining software systems to secure approvals. The alleged violations have resulted in estimated losses of Rs 325 crore to the state exchequer.
Authorities have registered 62 first information reports in connection with illegal sand mining, with investigations ongoing.
The EOU has also transferred cases involving assets worth Rs 21 crore, linked to two individuals, to the Enforcement Directorate for action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Both cases remain under process.
Separately, investigators are examining financial irregularities amounting to Rs 101 crore in the cooperative sector, involving the Vaishali Cooperative Bank and an entity referred to as Awami League. Santosh Kumar, a BSNL employee identified as a key accused, has been arrested in the case, while three others had earlier been taken into custody.
In another development, Chandrashekhar Singh, a former sub-postmaster who had been absconding for 12 years in connection with a banking and postal fraud case, was arrested earlier this year.
Kumar said the unit had also recently arrested an accused in Siwan linked to the illegal transportation and sale of coal from Jharkhand using fraudulent e-way bills, leading to tax evasion of Rs 35 lakh.
Meanwhile, a disproportionate assets case has been registered against Manoj Kumar Rajak, an executive engineer in the state energy department. Investigators allege his assets exceed his known sources of income by more than 66%. Searches conducted at multiple locations linked to him led to the recovery of property documents, jewellery and other valuables, including papers related to land purchases in Nepal.
In a separate case, the EOU’s examination wing has arrested the main accused in a question paper leak involving exams conducted by the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT). The accused, identified as Sarfaraz, also known as “Jannat Bhaiyya”, allegedly ran a YouTube channel where he sold solved question papers to students from classes 3 to 8 through paid memberships and UPI transactions. Officials said investigations in all cases are ongoing.
