Jammu, Jan 6 (IANS): Two brothers from Punjab were arrested on Saturday for alleged embezzlement of Rs 1.64 crore by the crime branch of Jammu and Kashmir Police.

Officials said that two bookies, Jatin a.k.a. 'Raja' and his brother Jatinder a.k.a. 'Poot' were arrested from the Mukerian area of Punjab by the crime branch sleuths.

"They have been evading arrest for the last 4 years. They are accused of embezzlement of Rs 1.64 crore involving an inter-state bookie racket that siphoned off the revenue collected by a cashier of the J&K Jal Shakti department.

The Crime Branch had registered a case in this racket in 2020 following a complaint regarding embezzlement of Rs 1.64 crore out of the revenue collected as water charges by the city division of Jal Shakti department.

Police had earlier arrested Nikhil Gandral, the then cashier at the Jal Shakti office, and Inderpal Singh of Jammu and chargesheeted them in the case in March 2020.

"The revenue was collected by the sub-divisional staff and was deposited at the division headquarters with the accused cashier for its remittance into the government treasury.

"Instead of sending the remittance to the government treasury, the cashier siphoned off Rs 1.64 crore and accepted that he had given the amount to bookie Jatin, who had assured him of doubling the amount," an official said.