Jabalpur: The EOW Jabalpur on Thursday conducted searches at the office and residence of the Church of North India Jabalpur Diocese’s bishop against whom a cheating case was registered, an EOW official said.

The EOW SP said that a complaint against Bishop BC Singh, the chairman of the Board of Education Church of North India Jabalpur Diocese stating he indulged in financial misconduct in running an educational society, of which he is the chairman.

During the search at the residence of BC Singh officials recovered documents related to alleged disproportion of funds. “Searches are being conducted at the residence and office of the Board of Education Church of North India (Jabalpur Diocese) chairman Bishop PC Singh for allegedly forging documents to change the educational society’s original name and unlawfully diverting students’ fees collected by various educational institutions for fulfilling his personal needs,” the official said.

Preliminary investigations into the complaint revealed a sum of Rs 2.70 crore collected as students’ fees by the society’s various institutions between 2004-05 and 2011-12 was allegedly transferred to religious institutions, misused and spent by the bishop for personal needs. Following which a case was lodged against Bishop Singh and former assistant registrar of Firms and Societies BS Solanki under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using a forge document or electronic record) and 120 B (punishment for criminal conspiracy).