VAO under lens for swindling Thane relief

The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption, in its FIR registered against Santhanakrishnan, VAO of Vazhuthalapattu village, and seven others, including four officials of Cuddalore in connection with the allegation, noted that this is not the first case against Santhanakrishnan. He was earlier accused of misappropriation of funds multiple times.

“There is an allegation against the VAO when he was working at Keezhur village in 2011. He had swindled more than Rs 33.5 lakh from relief funds. We are looking for more details about the allegation and there will be a detailed investigation,” the DVAC said.

The FIR also noted that the investigators are looking into the alleged swindling of money to the tune of Rs 1 crore by Santhanakrishnan when he was the VAO in Vadakatthu village in Cuddalore while distributing relief to rain-hit residents in 2015.