Tripura IAS Officer Abhishek Chandra Among Four Named in Rs.14.55 Crore Alleged Tender Fraud, Case Registered at NCC Police Station
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, July 4, 2026
A major criminal case involving allegations of cheating, criminal conspiracy, forgery, impersonation and financial fraud has been registered at New Capital Complex (NCC) Police Station in Agartala against Tripura IAS officer Abhishek Chandra, along with Utpal Kumar Choudhury, Krishna Chakraborty, and Sudip Paul, following a complaint by a Nagpur-based businessman who alleged that he was duped of over Rs.14.55 crore through fake Government of Tripura tender schemes.
According to the FIR, Manish Malani, son of Ramesh Chandra Malani, a resident of Ajni, Nagpur, Maharashtra, lodged the complaint. He alleged that he was acting both in his individual capacity and as a representative of SK Sales Corporation. Based on his complaint, NCC Police registered Case No. 2026NCC044 on July 1, 2026, and initiated an investigation.
The FIR invokes multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including Sections 61(2), 204, 316(3), 316(5), 318(4), 319(2), 336(3), 338, 340(2), 341(2), and 3(5).
According to the complaint, the alleged fraud began in February 2024, when Manish Malani was introduced to Abhishek Chandra, who allegedly presented himself as a senior IAS officer associated with the Government of Tripura and claimed to have authority over the floating and approval of government tenders, particularly those related to the Directorate of Higher Education, the power sector, and the Mid-Day Meal programme. The complainant alleged that after verifying that Abhishek Chandra was indeed serving as Special Secretary, Planning (Statistics), Government of Tripura, he trusted his representations.
The complaint states that Abhishek Chandra allegedly persuaded the firm to enter into lucrative government contracts and advised the complainant to form a joint venture with Krishna Chakraborty, represented by her husband Sudip Paul, to participate in Tripura government tenders. A Joint Venture agreement was subsequently executed on September 4, 2024, specifically for participating in Mid-Day Meal supply contracts in Tripura.
The complainant further alleged that, acting on the accused's instructions, substantial amounts were deposited as Earnest Money Deposits (EMDs) through demand drafts purportedly in favour of the Directorate of Education, Tripura. The complaint claims that between September 2024 and February 2025, the firm paid ₹14,55,42,945 as EMDs and other tender-related payments after receiving what appeared to be official tender documents and work orders.
The complaint also alleges that the accused arranged meetings in New Delhi and Agartala, introduced the complainant to persons allegedly posing as government officials and bankers, created WhatsApp groups for regular communication, and continued assuring the complainant that contracts had been awarded and payments would be processed. The complainant further alleged that certain RTGS payments received from accounts in the names of Krishna Chakraborty and the Directorate of Higher Education, Tripura reinforced the belief that the transactions were genuine.
According to the complaint, the promised refunds and profits never materialised. After repeated follow-ups, the complainant allegedly discovered that the purported tenders and work orders did not exist and that the documents had allegedly been fabricated. The complaint further states that during a visit to Tripura, officials of the Directorate of Higher Education informed the complainant that no such tenders had ever been floated.
The complainant also alleged that Utpal Kumar Choudhury, who had allegedly been projected as an officer responsible for processing payments, had in fact been arrested earlier by the West Bengal Police in another case, contradicting earlier explanations allegedly given by the accused regarding delays in payments.
Based on these allegations, the complainant accused Abhishek Chandra, IAS, Krishna Chakraborty, Sudip Paul, Utpal Kumar Choudhury and their associates of acting in criminal conspiracy to cheat the firm of approximately Rs.14.55 crore by allegedly fabricating government documents, impersonating public officials, forging records and inducing the complainant to invest large sums of money.
The complaint requested the police to register an FIR, freeze the bank accounts of the accused, undertake a detailed financial and cyber-forensic investigation, trace electronic communications and banking transactions, and recover the allegedly defrauded amount.
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