Mizoram: Top student leader held for embezzlement of Covid funds

Aizawl, Nov 8 (IANS) In a significant development, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Mizoram on Friday arrested a top student leader of the influential Mizo Students' Union (MSU) on allegations of defrauding and misappropriating funds meant for Covid-19 relief and medical aid for Myanmar refugees, officials said.

An official said that soon after the arrest of MSU President Samuel Zoramthanpuia (34) he was produced before the chief judicial magistrate court, which sent the accused into judicial custody and was sent to Central Jail, Tanhril, Aizawl.

According to the official in 2022, the ACB received a complaint alleging irregularities in utilisation of Rs 50 lakh, sanctioned by the state’s Health and Family Welfare Department to provide in Covid-19 relief to MSU.

Another amount of Rs 15 lakh donated by the Chin Health Organisation (CHO).

Both Rs 50 lakh and Rs 15 lakh were meant for the medical aid for Myanmar refugees, sheltered in Mizoram.

After receiving the complaints, the ACB registered a formal case on October 17 and initiated a probe and after a preliminary inquiry confirmed the misappropriation of funds.

“The probe revealed that MSU President Zoramthanpuia, who was then the general secretary of the student body, had been involved in both cheating and embezzlement. Finally the ACB sleuth arrested him on Friday,” the official told the media.

Meanwhile, a police official said that Zoramthanpuia was also accused for his involvement in the kidnapping and extortion through threats of non-local employees of a construction farm under Mizoram Power and Electricity Department located at Aizawl’s Zuangtui locality.

An employee of the farm stated in the FIR that around 10 MSU members kidnapped the three non-local employees of the farm and threatened that the three employees would not be released if Rs two lakh was not paid.

The three employees of the private farm were rescued by a team of Mizoram Police on Friday evening.

--IANS

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