India, Nov. 6 -- The police in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district have arrested a woman Sarpanch and her male friend on charges of misappropriating government funds to the tune of Rs 46.86 lakh.

Balia panchayat Sarpanch Sarojini Nayak and her male friend Ranjan Kumar Ojha were arrested from Bhubaneswar, said a police officer. Buy Maps

Both were subsequently sent to judicial custody after a court rejected their bail pleas, he added.

The case relates to the alleged misappropriation of government funds amounting to Rs 46,86,202 by Nayak and the then Panchayat Executive Officer (PEO), Raghunath Champia, of Balia panchayat under Kujang block.

Earlier, Champia was arrested by Kujang police on October 27 and forwarded to court. Following the r...