Lucknow: The economic offences wing (EOW) of UP Police arrested 20 wanted accused involved in various financial crimes during a week-long special crackdown titled ‘Operation Shikanja’. The operation was conducted from Mar 9-15.Officials said the special campaign was launched to accelerate pending investigations and apprehend absconding accused in economic crime cases across the state. To execute the operation, EOW constituted eight specialised teams at headquarters and sector levels, with additional support from the central crack team, to track and arrest suspects who evaded law enforcement for years.During the intensive operation, coordinated raids and search operations were carried out in several districts of UP, leading to the arrest of 20 accused persons in multiple high-profile financial crime cases, officials said.Arrests in VDO recruitment scamOne of the major cases linked to the arrests relates to the 2018 recruitment examination for 1,953 posts of village development officer (VDO), social welfare supervisor and gram panchayat officer, conducted by the UP Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC) through Tata Consultancy Services.Following complaints of widespread irregularities and alleged manipulation in the examination process, the state govt handed over the probe to the special investigation team (SIT) of the EOW. A case was subsequently registered at Vibhuti Khand police station in Lucknow under sections 467, 468, 471, 477A and 120B of the IPC.Under ‘Operation Shikanja’, five accused candidates linked to the alleged recruitment scam were arrested. They were identified as Pawan Kumar, Vinod Kumar Maurya, Rakesh, Devendra Kumar and Deepak.Officials said that a total of 35 accused have been arrested so far in connection with the recruitment scam, which remains under investigation.Muzaffarnagar power corporation fraudIn another major case, the EOW Meerut sector arrested five accused in connection with a financial irregularity in the UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL).The case dates back to 2006-07, when the electricity distribution division in Muzaffarnagar was given a target under a general scheme to electrify 941 private tube wells in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts.Investigations revealed that after achieving the sanctioned target, officials and employees allegedly used forged letterheads of public representatives to show electrification of nearly 200 additional private tube wells without official approval, causing an estimated loss of Rs1.39 crore to the state exchequer.A case was registered at Kotwali police station in Muzaffarnagar under sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 477A and 120B of the IPC. Based on evidence collected during the investigation, EOW arrested Akhil Srivastava, Jagdish Prasad, Samay Singh, Mahesh Chandra Gupta and Ashok Kumar Gupta.₹1.41 crore bank fraud in KanpurAnother significant breakthrough was made in a bank fraud case involving the Bank of India’s Maharajpur branch in Kanpur Nagar.According to investigators, Pankaj Gupta, a daily wage worker at the branch, along with accomplices, allegedly stole login credentials and passwords of bank officials and employees. Using these details, the accused carried out fraudulent transactions and siphoned off Rs1.41 crore from account holders’ accounts.The case was initially registered at Maharajpur police station in Kanpur Nagar in Mar 2020 under sections 406 and 420 of the IPC, along with provisions of the Information Technology Act.Later, the state govt transferred the investigation to the EOW in Aug 2020. During the probe, investigators found 11 persons, including four public servants and six private individuals, prima facie guilty.During the latest operation, EOW arrested Anuj Kumar Sharma, Hitesh Kumar Sharma and Ashutosh Thakur in connection with the fraud.Other arrestsApart from the above major cases, EOW teams also arrested seven other accused in separate economic offence cases during the campaign. Those arrested include Nirahu, Jagdish Prasad Gupta, Ashish Shukla, Surendra Pal Singh, Rajeev Purwar, Ajit Singh and Naved Hasan.Major achievement for EOWOfficials said the 7-day ‘Operation Shikanja’ resulted in the arrest of 20 wanted accused involved in financial crimes, many of whom absconded for years.Senior officials described the operation as a significant achievement for the EOW, reiterating that the agency will continue intensified action against corruption, fraud and financial irregularities across UP.
