AGRA: Nityanand Mishra, a 53-year-old clerk working under the chief development officer Kasganj, allegedly managed to get his colleagues transferred, a private tobacco factory closed and even get his salary dues released by forging the signature of the UP chief minister. Absconding for over a year and termed as “indisciplined and rouge” by police, Mishra was arrested on Tuesday.Mishra had four criminal cases of forgery against him, including three in Ganjdundwara and one in Kasganj Kotwali police jurisdiction. Mishra hails from Farrukhabad district.According to Kasganj police, the matter came to light in 2017 after a suspicious order with signature of the CM asked for “immediate removal” of a tobacco factory from Canal road of Ganjdundwara.Speaking to TOI, Ajay Bhadoria, public relations officer of Kasganj police said, “There is a letter format which every government authority follows. However, the letters from CMO first ask for an investigation and its report before ordering action. When in 2017, the district magistrate received the letter with the CM’s signature to remove a private tobacco factory in Ganjdundwara, he forwarded a complaint to SP Etah . A letter was also sent to special secretary of the CM, who confirmed that no such order had been passed. After that, an FIR was lodged against an unknown person.”“During investigation, we zeroed down our probe on Nityanand Mishra, who had a notorious reputation in the department and had been suspended on numerous occasions. By the time police was ready to question him, he was transferred to Lalitpur from Kasganj.”Before leaving Kasganj, Mishra sent another letter with a forged signature of the CM to his superior, ordering to transfer clerk Maharaj Singh (Mishra’s friend) to ARTO office Kasganj or the Financial Consultant District Panchayat Kasganj on ground of family issues. Following this, an FIR was lodged in 2018.According to police, to evade arrest, Mishra secured a stay order from the Supreme Court in two cases.“Recently a complaint was also received from Lalitpur district magistrate about a suspicious letter with the CM’s signature, asking to release the salary of 15 days of a suspended clerk who had been transferred from Kasganj. The signature was found to be forged and an FIR was lodged against Mishra and a manhunt was initiated. He was caught after a surveillance team tracked down his phone,” said superintendent of police, Kasganj, Ashok Kumar.

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