Ahmedabad, Jun 6 (IANS): The Ahmedabad Police have arrested ASI Jayendrasinh Bapalal Parmar on Wednesday for embezzling Rs 53.65 lakh of seized cash. Parmar, responsible for safeguarding seized money in liquor and gambling cases, has been found guilty of misappropriating funds over several years.

"The embezzlement was discovered after an audit at Sabarmati Police Station. Police Commissioner G.S. Malik transferred Parmar to the Special Branch on November 9, 2023. Shortly after his transfer, Parmar went on sick leave on November 23, 2023," a source said.

During an audit of the seized assets, Constable Mukesh Hamirbhai revealed that Parmar "always kept the keys to the vaults containing the seized money".

Initial investigations uncovered the disappearance of substantial cash, prompting another cop, Vinod, to report the matter to higher authorities.

Further investigations revealed that between 2016 and 2023, cash seized in 262 cases had vanished, along with proceeds from auctioned seized property.

Despite multiple opportunities given to Parmar, who was undergoing treatment for mouth cancer, to return the embezzled money, he "continued to mislead his superiors".

Officers at Sabarmati Police Station had suspected irregularities towards the end of last year when they noticed that cash seized from liquor and gambling cases was not being deposited as per regulations.

Parmar had assured his superiors that the money was secure and promised to return it.

However, these assurances proved false. The severity of the situation forced the police to register a case and finally arrest Parmar.