Tripura: IAS Officer Named in Rs 4.55 Crore Fraud Case, FIR Filed
A Nagpur-based firm has accused a serving IAS officer and others of cheating it of ₹14.55 crore through allegedly forged Tripura government tender documents and fake work orders.
AGARTALA- A Nagpur-based company has accused a serving IAS officer and several others of allegedly cheating it of ₹14.55 crore through forged government tender documents and fabricated work orders purportedly issued in the name of the Tripura government.
According to a First Information Report (FIR) registered at the New Capital Complex Police Station in Agartala on July 1, the complainant, Manish Malani, representing SK Sales Corporation, alleged that Abhishek Chandra, a 2003-batch IAS officer currently serving as Special Secretary in the Planning (Statistics) Department of the Tripura government, falsely claimed to have authority over the issuance and approval of government tenders across multiple departments, including the Directorate of Higher Education.
The complaint states that in February 2024, Chandra allegedly informed the firm’s representatives about business opportunities in the state’s power and mid-day meal sectors and claimed he could facilitate government contracts. The complainant alleged that he and his associates were later invited to New Delhi in August 2024, where they were shown what were presented as official tender documents.
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According to the FIR, Chandra allegedly advised the firm to enter into a joint venture with Krishna Chakraborty, represented by her husband Sudip Paul. A joint venture agreement was reportedly signed on September 4, 2024.
The complainant alleged that an Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) of ₹1.94 crore was made on the same day, followed by the issuance of a work order valued at ₹2.56 crore on September 19, 2024. Additional EMD payments were allegedly made between September 2024 and February 2025, taking the total amount transferred to ₹14.55 crore.
The FIR further states that the complainant received several RTGS transfers from Krishna Chakraborty’s account between October 2024 and March 2025, described as profit-sharing and refund payments, which allegedly reinforced the firm’s confidence in the transactions.
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However, during a visit to Tripura in April 2025, the complainant claimed to have discovered that the Directorate of Higher Education had not floated any such tenders and that the documents shown to the firm were allegedly forged.
The complaint also alleges that Utpal Kumar Chowdhury, who had allegedly been introduced as an official responsible for processing payments, had previously been arrested by the West Bengal Police and is currently lodged in a jail in Haryana.
Based on the complaint, police have registered a case under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and related offences. The investigation has been assigned to Sub-Inspector Rahul Das.
Police have not yet announced any arrests in connection with the case. The allegations contained in the FIR are currently under investigation, and the accused persons have not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of filing this report.
