DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Sept 10: A fraud of more than Rs4 million was committed involving the purchase of furniture for government schools in the Dera Ismail Khan district, sources said.

According to the sources, Rs12.5 million had been drawn from the State Bank, D.I. Khan branch, against fraudulent bills on June 25, 2002, without supplying any furniture or other items to the schools.

On June 30, the contractors were provided a list of the schools and the furniture. But, except for some minor items, nothing worthwhile was supplied to these schools, the sources claimed.

The heads of these institutions were asked to make entries in their stock registers, showing what they had been supplied, the sources said, adding that they were told that due to official demur the remaining stock could not be supplied.

In July, a meeting of headmasters and principles of these schools was called, asking them to bring the stock registers for verification.

But they insisted that either the actual entries should be accepted or they should be provided the entire stock, the sources revealed.

The matter was brought to the notice of the education department, and an inquiry committee was constituted.

During investigations, it was found out that the purchase committee had acquired substandard and insufficient stocks, the sources said, and that around Rs4 million had been embezzled in the transaction.

The inquiry report has been submitted to the NWFP education secretary, the sources added.