Fugitive woman arrested for swindling Rs 26 lakh

BERHAMPUR: On the run for two years, a woman who allegedly swindled government money to the tune of over Rs 26 lakh, was nabbed by Golanthara police on Monday.

The accused Yara Hemalata (37) had misappropriated the funds when she was engaged as the master bookkeeper of Girisola gram panchayat legal federation (GPLF) under the Odisha livelihood mission (OLM) of Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water department.

In April 2023, police had registered a case against Hemalata on the basis of a complaint received from the block development officer (BDO) of Chikiti who alleged that the woman misappropriated Rs 26,66,000 from different bank accounts of Girisola GPLF.