12 November,2010 07:06 AM IST | | Atul Krishan
Central Electricity Regulatory Commission official involved in Rs 11 lakh fraud
A senior official of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has been arrested for stealing demand drafts worth lakhs of rupees and encashing them in an account opened in the name of the transmission regulator.
Rajni Tiwari, an upper division clerk with CERC, was held along with her accomplice Pankaj Rana. Their racket was exposed after the electricity regulator informed the police about a stolen demand draft being encashed in a Ghaziabad bank.
On investigations, it was revealed that Rajni and Pankaj had got a bank account opened in the name of the CERC and the demand drafts which were stolen by Rajni, were encashed in the fake account.
According to officials, Rajni is involved in forgery cases worth at least Rs 11 lakh. The racket was exposed after a DD worth Rs 3 lakh issued in the name of the organization got encashed without the company getting even a penny. CERC's assistant secretary Ramanuj Dey lodged an FIR with the police, alleging that a demand draft worth Rs 3 lakh was issued by a client went first missing and then encashed. The case was filed at Barakhamba police station.
On investigation police found that Rajni had been running a bank account in the name of CERC in the Ghaziabad branch of Central Bank of India.
Ramanuj said a Raipur-based company Vandana Global limited had sent a DD of Rs 3 lakh to them. Rajni had to deposit the DD but instead of giving it to pay and accounts office, she gave it to her accomplice and the money was deposited in the fake CERC account in Ghaziabad.u00a0
To escpae scrutiny Rajni told her seniors that the DD was misplaced by her. Her seniors contacted Vandana Global limited to send another DD. A day after they were informed that the DD which the compan had sent was already credited at Central Bank of India's Ghaziabad Branch. "In view of the gravity of the matter the assistant secretary reported the matter to us," said a senior police officer.
The officer further stated that the fake account was opened by Naveen Sharma and Kapil Sharma and they have credited around Rs 20 lakh in their account, so far. "We are interrogating them to nab others," a senior police official said.
