Muzaffarpur News: Agency Booked For Rs 78 Lakh Fraud In Mushahari Jeevika Mushroom Scheme

Following a Rs 1.18 crore embezzlement case in Bochahan, another case of financial fraud has come to light in the Mushahari block, Muzaffarpur. An agency allegedly misappropriated Rs 78 lakh, sanctioned for providing resources for mushroom production to Jeevika Didis, women participating in a self-help group scheme, without delivering any materials.

The Bihar Gramin Bank, during an investigation, discovered that the agency, M/s Gravity Agro and Energy, had withdrawn Rs 7,267,025 for the project but failed to carry out any work. When the beneficiaries attempted to contact the agency, there was no response, raising suspicions. 

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Consequently, the branch manager of Bihar Gramin Bank, Sanjay Kumar Gupta, filed an FIR against the agency’s proprietor, Kumari Shivangi, and executive, Ashutosh Mangalam, at the Mushahari police station.

Former District Councillor Mukteshwar Prasad Singh had previously complained to the District Magistrate, who directed the Block Development Officer to investigate, but no action was taken. The inauguration of the mushroom production and sales initiative was scheduled for February 28, 2024, but due to the fraud, the project never commenced.

Notably, the same agency is also accused of embezzling Rs 1.18 crore in Bochahan. The agency’s proprietors, siblings Kumari Shivangi and Ashutosh Mangalam, are children of Umashankar Chaudhary. Following the Bochahan case, the district administration had given the agency a one-week deadline to return the funds.

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Mukteshwar Prasad Singh emphasised the need to investigate who facilitated the agency’s connection with the Cluster Level Federation (CLF) group to prevent such fraud in future.