By Firstdespatch Desk Jul 04, 2026
Agartala, July 4 (FD) A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered at the New Capital Complex Police Station in Agartala alleging a multi-crore financial fraud involving purported government tenders in Tripura. An Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and three others have been named in the complaint filed by a Nagpur-based business firm.
The complaint, lodged on July 1, accuses IAS officer Abhishek Chandra, along with Utpal Chandra, Sudip Pal and Krishna Chakraborty, of allegedly inducing the company to invest substantial sums of money on the assurance that it would secure government supply contracts purportedly issued by Tripura's Directorate of Higher Education.
According to the FIR, the accused allegedly claimed to have influence over the government tendering process and access to senior officials, persuading the company to enter into a joint venture agreement in September 2024 to participate in the proposed contracts.
The complainant alleged that between September 2024 and February 2025, the firm transferred nearly ₹14.55 crore towards purported earnest money deposits and other project-related payments, believing the procurement process to be genuine. The complaint states that work orders, supporting documents and WhatsApp communications were allegedly shared with the company to establish the authenticity of the contracts.
The firm further claimed that it subsequently received certain payments described as refunds or profit-sharing, which allegedly strengthened its confidence that the transactions were legitimate.
However, after independently verifying the matter in April 2025, the company allegedly discovered that the Directorate of Higher Education had not issued the tenders in question. The complaint alleges that the tender documents and assurances provided were fabricated and that the accused subsequently became inaccessible. It also claims that the whereabouts of an individual allegedly involved in processing payments had earlier been misrepresented.
Based on these allegations, the complainant has sought a comprehensive investigation into offences including cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery and criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and other applicable provisions of law.
Police have registered the FIR and initiated an investigation. No arrests have been reported so far. FD JK