Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Oct 8: Rajagopal, joint director of State Directorate of Economics and Statistics, was arrested by the Jayanagar police in the city, on the allegations of defrauding a number of NGOs to the tune of two crore rupees. The policemen made the arrest, based on a complaint received from Professional Software Consultants, which said it had been defrauded by Rajagopal.

The Jayanagar police informed that Rajagopal had, during the last couple of years, contacted about 200 NGOs. He had informed them that he was handling a project on AIDS, tuberculosis and sex workers, a centrally funded project. He reportedly collected huge sums from them, duly assuring to return the same after receiving the data sought.

He had given tasks to the NGOs and had paid to some of them as promised, after receiving their statements. However, he failed in making later payments and some of the cheques issued by him, were returned unpaid.

The compainant said that the company had been executing the projects handed over to them by Rajagopal, through 58 other NGOs. “Rajagopal had said that he was the state coordinator for the National Service Trust, New Delhi, with its office located in the health department in the city. He assigned works like collecting data about the HIV-affected people, persons suffering from tuberculosis, sex workers etc., and released money after the statements of expenditure were submitted. He later asked the NGOs to conduct a survey on rehabilitation of these patients, which was attended to in August last year. However, he failed to pay up even after statement of expenditure was submitted. When pressure was brought, he absconded,” the petitioner said.