COIMBATORE: The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) in Coimbatore has registered a case against five officials of the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation (TNFDC) for forgery and misappropriation of funds totalling Rs 16.52 lakh.The case was registered against TNFDC officials S Kolanjinathan, former manager (currently assistant director of fisheries, Mettur dam), K Sathyamoorthy, former manager, S Rajan, former deputy manager, S Sahayaraj, former junior accountant and N Sureshkumar, assistant manager. Following specific intelligence about the misappropriation of funds in TNFDC, DVAC officials launched an inquiry on July 21.According to DVAC, Sathyamoorthy, Rajan and Sahayaraj have been withheld from retiring from service pending the legal outcome.Inquiries revealed that the five officers had colluded with one another to maintain falsified fish stock registers, manipulate sales records and siphon off money owed to the state govt.TNFDC Coimbatore marketing unit manages fish sales at 12 retail stalls, a mobile sales unit and stalls linked to major water reservoirs such as Aliyar dam. The probe uncovered systematic fraud in two distinct operational periods.Total fish procurement was logged at 81,672.10 kg, but total disposal recorded was only 78,738.40 kg, leaving an unaccounted shortage of 2,933.70 kg valued at Rs 2.33 lakh. Additionally, after accounting for a 10% commission for salesmen on retail sales, Rs 80.01 lakh should have been deposited into the TNFDC bank account, but only Rs 73.10 lakh was remitted. This resulted in an overall misappropriation of Rs 9.23 lakh for the year 2018-19.Similarly, during April 1, 2019 – June 30, 2019, procurement was logged at 36,662.30 kg against a reported disposal of 35,890.65 kg, leaving a shortage of 771.65 kg valued at Rs 64.14 lakh. Remittances to the state account fell short by Rs 6.64 lakh, bringing the total misappropriation for this three-month period to 7.28 lakh.The officials have been booked under various sections for criminal conspiracy, public servant framing an incorrect document, criminal breach of trust by public servant, forgery for purpose of cheating, and falsification of accounts. They face charges under Section 13(2) read with 13(1)(c) and 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
