Mangalore: Government Employee Nabbed on Rs 73 Lac Forgery Case

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Dec 31: Pradip Kumar (26), presently working as the second division clerk in the office of the social welfare officer in the city was arrested by the Panambur police on Tuesday December 30, on the charge of opening savings bank account in fictitious name and fraudulently encashing a cheque for Rs 73.69 lac issued by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board(KIADB) through that account.

Kumar from Mandya, residing in the government quarters here in Urwa Stores, had been earlier working in the office of the KIADB located in Bykampady Industrial Area in the city. He is facing allegations of causing loss to the KIADB by illegally taking possession of the said cheque and drawing the proceeds thereof. The policemen have also taken into custody Kumar's uncle Krishna, whose services were allegedly utilized by the former for siphoning off the KIADB funds.

The said employee is charged with faking the signature of the special land acquisition officer of the KIADB Prabhulinga Kavalikatti and conjuring fake records to create a fictitious person by the name Krishnadas Permude, showing him as a beneficiary under the land acquisition proceedings of the Board for the creation of the  Mangalore Special Economic Zone. He then allegedly opened an account in the name of Krishnadas in a bank branch in Kavoor and used that account to draw a sum of Rs 73,69,793 to the detriment of the KIADB.

The policemen have also seized from the accused, a car, cash, gold ornaments and other things worth about Rs 10 lac. A sum of Rs 45 lac found in his account in a bank Mandya has also been confiscated. The policemen say that they are trying to recover Rs 15 lac he had lent to his friends.

The irregularity was committed in connection with the land acquisition at Kalavaru, Permude etc., for the setting up of the special economic zone there. The irregularity, committed several months ago, surfaced during the recent audit. Pradip had opened accounts in a bank branch in Kavoor and another in Bejai, faking his uncle Krishna as Krishnadas. Pradip is also said to be facing a case of fraud filed in Pandeshwar police station, in connection with cheating the Kannada and culture department to the tune of about three lac rupees when he was working there. The policemen say, that during interrogation, the accused claimed that several cases of such misappropriation of funds have routinely been taking place in Kannada and culture department as well as the KIADB.

Under the directions of Panambur deputy superintendent of police Jayant V Shetty, circle inspector Chandrashekhar and sub inspector of police Pramod Kumar participated in the operation.