LDA engineer gives EOW sleuths the slip

AN ASSISTANT engineer of the LDA went underground to evade arrest by the sleuths of Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in a case of financial irregularities committed in the installation of hand-pumps.

AN ASSISTANT engineer of the LDA went underground to evade arrest by the sleuths of Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in a case of financial irregularities committed in the installation of hand-pumps.

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Assistant engineer SK Mayank went ‘missing’ from the office after a team led by inspector Sarvesh Kumar Mishra of the Kanpur branch of the EOW came to arrest him from the LDA on Monday.

Accompanied by the police outpost in-charge of the Vishal Khand in Gomti Nagar, Mishra called on LDA Secretary RB Yadav and informed him about the purpose of his visit.

Subsequently, the sleuths went looking for Mayank, who is looking after development works related to Gomti Nagar Extension Housing Scheme of the LDA but failed to locate him.

A couple of days back, the wing of the EOW had arrested an LDA ‘amin’ from his Kanpur Road residence for allegedly making payment as compensation for properties that never existed on the spot.

The assistant engineer, according to sources, is one of the accused in a case registered against him when he was posted in Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) for alleged financial bungling in the installation of hand-pumps in Gangaganj Colony in Kanpur.  

Two KDA employees have already been arrested in the matter.

The case dates back to 1996 when the EOW registered an FIR under section 420, 476 and 468 of the Indian Penal Code following a complaint by a local that the hand-pumps in question were never installed in the colony.

Sources in the LDA revealed that the Vigilance Department too has sought permission from the authorities for initiating action against another two dozen LDA officials allegedly involved in a land scam in the Sitapur Road housing scheme.