A Central Bureau of Investigation team is in Manipur to question former State Chief Minister O. Ibobi Singh and some officials in connection with the alleged embezzlement of ₹332 crore by the four former chairmen of the Manipur Development Society (MDS).
The CBI team's visit comes just days after Mr. Ibobi Singh, as head of the Congress legislature party, staked claim to form a new government in Manipur.
“Mr. Ibobi Singh, who was the MDS chairman during the check period, has been asked to appear before the probe team on Wednesday,” said a CBI official.
On-going probe
In November last year, the agency had registered the case and searched multiple locations in Gurugram, Aizawl and Imphal, on the day when the Manipur Congress legislators led by the former CM staged a protest in Delhi against the Citizenship Amendment Bill and the Naga Accord.
The CBI investigation pertains to two cases earlier instituted by the Manipur Police. Among those named are former MDS chairmen, Mr. Ibobi Singh, and retired IAS officials D.S. Poonia, P.C. Lawmuknga and O. Nabakishore Singh. The then project director, Y. Ningthem Singh, and former administrative officer, Ranjit Singh, of the Society have also been named as accused.
It is alleged that, from June 30, 2009, to July 6, 2017, the accused persons embezzled the amount that was allocated for development works.
Demonetised notes
After the searches, the CBI had claimed to have seized ₹.26.49 lakh in demonetised notes from Mr. Ibobi Singh's premises, apart from ₹11.47 lakh in cash. Another amount of ₹10 lakh in the demonetised currency was also allegedly found on the former project directors premises, apart from the documents of two palatial properties in Imphal.
As alleged, Mr. Poonia had assets in Delhi, Gurugram and Noida, while Mr. Nabakishore had a four-storey building, two more houses, one flat each in Gurugram and Ghaziabad, and an under construction two-storey building in Manipur. His wife and son had a car dealership in Imphal.
The accused administrative officer had a house in Aizawl and an agricultural land in Imphal in his wife's name, a CBI official had earlier said.
