The CBI investigating the Srijan scam has summoned Vijay Kumar, an additional secretary-level officer posted in Bihar governor office, and asked him to be present in New Delhi on October 5.

Kumar, who earlier was an in-charge of the district nazarat (treasury) in 2004 in Bhagalpur and was a deputy collector rank official, is likely to be interrogated by the central investigating agency at its Delhi headquarters.

He also worked as a BDO at Sabour block, as a circle officer in Jagdishpur block and was the assistant programme officer at the district rural development agency, Bhagalpur. “Since Kumar was posted as the in-charge of the district nazarat besides serving several blocks like Sabour and Jagdishpur from where huge government amounts were embezzled, the CBI wants to quiz him,” said a source.

The CBI, which is investigating the illegal withdrawal of Rs 220 crore and 27 lakh from the district nazarat during the tenure of eight district magistrates, also sought details of two accounts of the department (nazarat) with the Bank of Baroda, Bhagalpur, and one account with the Indian Bank.

The CBI also sought details like original cheque books, issuing registers and other documents of that period.

A deputy superintendent of police (DSP) ranking officer in the CBI, Rajiv Ranjan, in a letter to Bhagalpur district magistrate Pranab Kumar, has asked for all information of the three bank accounts at Bank of Baroda and Indian Bank.

“The CBI wants to know details about accounts from which the amount was taken out from time to time. Kumar has been summoned because he was the nazarat in-charge at that time,” said a source in the district magistrate’s office.

After the scam broke, the first FIR of the embezzlement of government funds from the account of the district nazarat was registered by the then assistant nazir, Amrendar Kumar Yadav, with the Kotwali police station. Later, Yadav was arrested by the CBI for his role in the scam and presently he is in jail.