Rs.11-cr scam files go missing

• Two key treasury employees are absconding

Visakhapatnam: All the important records pertaining to the embezzlement of Rs 11 crore from the Chintapalle sub-treasury office have gone missing from the office of Additional District Medical and Health Office (ADMHO) in Paderu.

Two important employees who could provide clue to the inventors of the scam and the modus operandi have been absconding since a police complaint was lodged on November 26. DSP P V Krishna Varma on Saturday visited Public Health Centers (PHCs) at Chintapalle, Lothugedda, Korukonda, Sapparla, Darakonda, Jerrela and Pedavalasa. He inspected all the records.

Chintapalle and Lothugedda PHCs, other PHCs were found to be maintaining irregular and improper records.
“Shockingly, all the records vanished from the ADMHO at Paderu. The folders in the computers are empty, no hard copies are there. Even auditors told me that nothing was submitted to them. But going by the payments recorded at sub-treasury office, we are checking the papers in every PHC,’’ Varma said here on Sunday.

“The police are also looking for ADMHO employees Sanjeeva Rao and Simhachalm who could provide key information to the scam. Another two employees have been suspended in ADMHO office, but their names are not provided to the police so far,” Varma said.

In all, an amount of Rs 11 crore has been swindled during the past four years. The ADMHO outsources nurses, ANMs and health assistants and pay an average salary of Rs 10,000 to each of them. The sanctioned posts are 41 posts in different categories, money was drawn for over 280 employees since 2010-2011 financial year.

The embezzlement stopped after the online payment was introduced in the current financial year. M Geetha Devi, Deputy Director at the District Treasury, smelled the rat and lodged a formal complaint with the police on November 26.

By: KMP Patnaik