Sajid Rasool
Bandipora, May 21, KNT: Authorities in North Kashmir froze the accounts of a female Councilor after verification it was proved that she drained the state-exchequer through cheat and deceit.
Rafiqa Bano is Councilor at Sumbal Municipal Committee here in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district. Sources said that she was playing a victim card and thus looting exchequer.
After digging deeper, news agency KNT found that the said female Councilor has two healthy sons but she has still managed to procure PCP certificates for them. PCP stands for Physically Challenged Persons. Every month she received disability assistance from the Government.
Not only this, she also managed to reap benefits under Old Age Pension Scheme. Documents reveal the date of birth of the said Councilor is 1980 while of her husband is 1978 and yet despite being middle aged persons, the couple was getting old age pension on monthly basis.
The Councilor who is also a senior Congress member and a resident of Inderkoot Sumbal was also reaping benefits under ‘Woman in Distress’ Scheme.
SDM Sumbal, Bashir Ahmed Lone has directed District Social Welfare Officer to freeze the accounts of the all the illegal beneficiaries and recover the amount disbursed till date instantly and weed out such beneficiaries and initiate legal proceedings against the fraudesters at earliest.
When contacted, Tehsil Social Welfare Officer, Nazia Wani said that the bank accounts of woman in question have been frozen and all the allegations have proved correct. “We have verified the matter and found that the Councilor was draining state exchequer. We have frozen her accounts and an inquiry has been ordered to dig out further truth,” she said.
Tehsil Social Welfare Officer, Sumbal further said that it is very important to find out where from the woman got the fake income and disability certificates. “The matter will be thoroughly probed,” she told KNT.
