Bhubaneswar: Police on Thursday evening arrested Sarojini Nayak, the woman sarpanch of Ballia panchayat under Kujang block, and her friend Ranjan Kumar Ojha of Kothi area in connection with the alleged embezzlement of government funds.
Both were sent to Kujang Jail after a local court rejected their bail pleas. Panchayat Executive Officer Raghunath Champia had been arrested earlier in the same case and remains in jail.
According to the complaint, the sarpanch and the executive officer jointly misappropriated Rs 46,86,202 meant for panchayat development works. Following a departmental inquiry, District Collector Vidya Deepak Prasad Swain suspended the executive officer.
A case was registered against both the sarpanch and the executive officer at Kujang police station on March 8 this year. Police registered Case No. 101/26 on March 10 and launched an investigation.
Sarpanch Sarojini Nayak had been absconding since the registration of the case and was living elsewhere. On October 27, police arrested executive officer Raghunath Champia and produced him in court.
Continuing their efforts to nab the absconding sarpanch, Kujang police arrested her along with her friend Ranjan Kumar Ojha from Bhubaneswar on Thursday.
In the evening, both were produced before the First Class Judicial Magistrate Court at Kujang. As the court rejected their bail applications, they were remanded to judicial custody and sent to Kujang Jail.
