Aa Indian government official, hailed by Time magazine as a flood disaster hero, has disappeared after he was accused of stealing millions of dollars in aid money.
Police have launched a nationwide hunt for Gautam Goswami, who became a national celebrity when the US magazine commended his "brilliant" co-ordination of rescue and relief work in the northeastern Bihar state, where floods last July claimed 800 lives and left millions homeless.
"Goswami's reputation for upholding the law improves the image of a civil service perceived by many Indians as corrupt or inefficient," Time wrote.
Now, however, he is accused of embezzling 170 million rupees intended for flood victims. An investigation into widespread irregularities in the distribution of relief money raised questions about persistent corruption in the civil service. Patchy distribution of flood relief money triggered bitter complaints from victims. Five people were killed when police opened fire on people protesting at the failure of aid to materialize.
The inquiry into Goswami and 25 other officials and contractors has been championed not by the judicial system but by the Indian Express newspaper, which exposed inconsistencies in accounting for the money.
The paper revealed that officials had claimed numerous trucks full of aid had been dispatched along roads which were actually impassable -- having been destroyed by the floods -- and demonstrated that large payments were made to a contracting firm that did not exist.
As district magistrate for the regional capital Patna, Goswami was responsible for co-ordinating relief in 25 flooded districts.
Last month he protested his innocence at a press conference, describing himself as "blameless" and claiming that the allegations were motivated by jealousy over his international recognition.
"There is no scam. The whole exercise was transparent," he told the Indian Express. "I think people are jealous of me. Imagine, a government servant appearing in Time magazine."
But last week he went missing and the authorities in Bihar announced a cash reward for information leading to his arrest.
A spokesman for the Delhi-based Center for Social Responsibility said it was disturbing that Goswami "was a district magistrate, the very official who is responsible for opposing corrupt practices. This man was treated by the Indian public as a hero, the savior of the flood victims in Bihar."
Goswami's father said his son would give himself up as soon as he was confident that he would be granted bail.
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