the investigations into stationery supply scam of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is widening, Sadar police, on Sunday, arrested two civic employees for their alleged role. They are Mohan Padwanshi, a clerk with General Administration Department (GAD) and Mohammed Ashfaque Ahmed, an auditor. The role of these two persons surfaced during interrogation of suppliers, who generated bogus order by using unauthorised stamps of civic officials to showcase order for supply of stationery.

 

However, the four supply firms did not supply the stationery and yet submitted the bills that were promptly cleared by the Finance Department. Padwanshi allegedly used the ID and password of Assistant Commissioner, GAD, to log into NMC’s file system to generate order for supply of stationery to initiate the scam. The auditor is charged with dereliction for failing to detect the unauthorised bills when there was no order generated. In this scam case, the police on Thursday had registered an offence against Manohar Sakore & Company's Padmakar Kolba Sakore (55), Sushma Sakore (50), both resident of Jaiprakash Nagar; Manohar Sakore (70), a resident of Dakshinamurti Chowk, Mahal and Atul Sakore (40), a resident of New Nandanvan. As soon as the case was registered, the police acted fast and did not waste time to act fast given the gravity of the crime. At first the police started with suppliers who were taken in and in custody remand they spilled the beans as to how the scam was perpetuated.

 

What has stumped the official circles that the scamsters strategy was so fine that they even managed to hoodwink the internal auditors who too are now in soup. The way the order was generated, the stamps and signs was so real that it escaped the hawk eyes of auditors. Only when the bills went for cross checking did the lid on the scam got blown leaving several red faces in NMC. Now the role of two senior officials is under scrutiny, that of Assistant Commissioner, GAD, Mahesh Dhamecha, and all important Chief Account and Finance Officer (CAFO) Vijay Kolhe. They have been issued chargesheets seeking explanation even as a three member committee including two Additional Commissioners and one Deputy Commissioners are investigating the official lapses.