Govt official held for expedition fund fraud

The Indian Himalayan Centre For Adventure and Eco Tourism

TT,,Gangtok, June 16: The Sikkim vigilance police have arrested a government official for alleged embezzlement of funds worth Rs 1.36 crore meant for the first government-sponsored Mount Everest expedition.

The expedition that was supposed to be undertaken in 2014 was called off last year because of "technical problems".

Narendra Chettri, the assistant director and principal of the Indian Himalayan Centre For Adventure and Eco Tourism at Namchi in South District, was picked up from Gangtok on Tuesday. Yesterday, he was produced in a court here and remanded in police custody for seven days.

Chettri, a resident of Melli in South Sikkim, took over as the principal of the institute - which is under the state tourism department and conducts trekking and mountaineering training - in 2014.

"In 2013, the tourism department had sanctioned Rs 1.36 crore to the centre for the Mount Everest expedition. Six Sikkim residents had been selected for the trek. The institute was told that the expenditure was to be incurred with prior approval of its board of directors and the tourism department," said a vigilance police officer.

Later, the expedition was called off and the tourism department secretary, Chewang Zangpo, said the funds had to be returned to the tourism department.

However, during investigations it was found that Chettri had issued cheques for Rs 1.36 crore from the bank account of the centre in name of his wife, some relatives and a non-existing firm. "The transactions were never entered in the cash book and register of the centre," said a police source.

According to sources, the cheques for various amounts had been issued over a period of several months. Once the discrepancy came to light, the Sikkim vigilance police were informed.

Since April, Chettri has been on leave. He had applied for medical leave of five months, a source said. "We are trying to find out how this man issued a cheque in the name of a bogus company, what his modus operandi was and how he used the money," said a police source.

Chettri has been under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.