Former Employee and Accomplice Arrested in CMRF Misappropriation Case

In a significant development, police authorities announced on Wednesday the arrest of two individuals allegedly involved in the misappropriation of Rs 8.71 lakh sanctioned under the Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF). The accused include a former outsourcing employee who served as a data entry operator at a camp office of a previous Telangana minister.

According to a statement released by the Hyderabad Police, the suspects engaged in a criminal conspiracy to unlawfully acquire funds meant for disadvantaged beneficiaries. The primary suspect, identified as the former outsourcing employee, is believed to have exploited his access to CMRF cheques during his tenure at the minister's office.

In the aftermath of the 2023 Assembly elections, with the defeat of the BRS government, the main accused reportedly took control of 230 sanctioned cheques which remained undistributed. Targeting 19 cheques from applicants who did not follow up, the suspects deposited them into accounts with similar names at a PSU bank, employing forged details to withdraw the money.

(With inputs from agencies.)