Gangtok, Aug 11 : The Sikkim Vigilance Police (SVP) on Tuesday arrested a Head Assistant of the Tourism Department on charges of conspiracy and misappropriation of government funds, in continuation of its ongoing anti-corruption drive against errant public servants.
According to a press release issued by the SVP on August 11, 2026, the accused was arrested for allegedly receiving funds in her bank account that were fraudulently and dishonestly withdrawn from government accounts belonging to the Gangtok District Zilla Panchayat (GDZP) and the Jal Jeevan Mission Security Deposit.
Following the arrest, a search was conducted at the residence of the accused, during which incriminating materials relevant to the investigation were seized. The accused is currently in custody and being interrogated further.
The action stems from a written complaint lodged by the Sachiva, GDZP, based on which an FIR was registered at the SVP Police Station against the accused public servants on charges of conspiracy, cheating, and forgery.
Investigations revealed that between 2018 and 2025, the accused officials, who were responsible for preparing the monthly salary bills of GDZP staff, had dishonestly and illegally inflated their own salary bills on a regular basis. They allegedly forwarded a false and fabricated list of payees to the bank for the disbursement of monthly salaries, with the inflated amounts subsequently credited to the bank accounts of three accused public servants.
This is not the first arrest in the case. The SVP had earlier arrested two accountants and one Senior Accountant-cum-Drawing & Disbursing Officer of GDZP on similar charges. According to the police, the accused continued to draw inflated salary figures with apparent impunity over the years, causing a deliberate and undue pecuniary loss running into crores to the government exchequer. They are also alleged to have siphoned off huge funds, again running into crores, from various other official accounts of GDZP.
The Sikkim Vigilance Police reiterated its commitment to upholding integrity, transparency, and probity in public administration, and has appealed to citizens to come forward with complaints or information regarding corruption, misconduct, or malpractice involving public servants. Complaints can be lodged at the office of Sikkim Vigilance Police, Secretariat Annexe I, Sonam Tshering Marg, Gangtok-737101, or via email at dir.vig-sik[at]sikkim.gov.in.
