Jammu, Jan 27 (IANS): The J&K Police Crime Branch on Wednesday arrested a West Bengal resident on charge of swindling Rs 1.34 crore from the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

"A team headed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police proceeded to West Bengal and arrested accused Selim Sekh of Tinsatabighi Berabad village in Malda district, who was wanted in many FIRs pertaining to fraudulent siphoning of government funds," a Crime Branch statement said.

It said the accused in criminal conspiracy with co-accused uploaded fake application forms on the National Scholarship Portal for Merit cum Means Scholarship under the Minority Quota for Jammu and Kashmir students during 2018-19 for Kulgam district. Subsequently, fake verifications were conducted from institutes that did not exist in states mentioned in the application forms.

The accused allegedly showed fake beneficiaries as residents of Kulgam district and thus got it verified by the district Social Welfare Officer through deceit and managed to transfer Rs 1.34 crore from the Ministry of Minority Affairs into accounts of 463 fake beneficiaries in branches of State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, United Bank of India (now PNB), Allahabad Bank, IDFC Bank and Bangiya Vikas Gramin Bank in different districts of West Bengal.