The Udumalpet police on Wednesday arrested two persons, including a temporary staff member of the Forest Department, on charges of attempting to withdraw ₹ 5.7 lakh by forging the signature of an official on a cheque.
The police said that Palanisami (28) was working as a temporary staff at the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) office in Udumalpet. On Monday, he allegedly stole a cheque leaf from a government cheque book and allegedly forged the signature of the Deputy Director of ATR Arockiaraj Xavier to draw ₹ 5.7 lakh from the Udumalpet branch of a public sector bank. He gave the cheque to Premkumar (28), an acquaintance who had previously worked as a temporary staff in the Udumalpet ATR office, to deposit it in the bank on Monday.
The next day, an official from the bank contacted the assistant to the Deputy Director, ATR, before initiating the transaction that the signature on the cheque appeared to be different, the police said. The assistant lodged a complaint with the Udumalpet police on Wednesday and a case was registered under sections 381 (Theft by clerk or servant of property in possession of master), 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating) and 420 (Cheating) read with 511 (Punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment) of the Indian Penal Code. The two accused were remanded in judicial custody.
