THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The crime branch will probe allegations of financial irregularities in the United Nurses Association UNA ). State police chief Loknath Behera said the charges involved large sums of money and a state-wide probe was required.The probe has been ordered on the basis of a petition from association former vice-president Sibi Mukesh, alleging siphoning of around Rs 3.50 crore from the association's bank account by a section of office-bearers and others. The petitioner has sought a probe into financial transactions of the association between April 2017 and January 31 this year.State police chief Loknath Behera has ordered a crime branch probe into the alleged financial irregularities in the United Nurses Association (UNA).Behera said that a crime branch probe has been ordered as the allegations involve large sums of money and a statewide probe would be required for probing the complaint regarding the matter.The probe has been ordered on the basis of a petition by former vice-president of the association Sibi Mukesh. The petitioner sought a probe into the financial transactions of the association between April 2017 and January 31this year.In the petition, Sibi Mukesh alleged that the organisation’s bank account in Thrissur had received Rs 3.71 crore from April 2017 till January 19, this year, but the balance in the account on January 31 is only Rs 8, 55, 408. He alleged that while Rs 1.40 crore has been withdrawn through cheque and bank transfers for purposes like organisational work, office rent, paying fee to the advocates, paying levy to the nurses while they were on strike etc, another Rs 2.20 crore has been siphoned off by a section of office bearers.He said that several individuals who are not directly linked with the organisation have withdrawn money from the account, even without the decision of the organisation. He said that the organisation has lost as much as Rs 3.50 crore, and despite that some of the office bearers have demanded that a detailed account statement be given, no action has been taken on it yet.The UNA, one of the largest organisations of nurses, have been taking up several issues relating to the nurses regarding their service and pay structures. Recent fights for decent wages and working conditions for nurses have brought the UNA to limelight.

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