A constable has allegedly defrauded Police Department of Rs. 5.86 lakh by fraudulently presenting attendance sheets of Home Guards working in Hyderabad Police Commissionerate.
The Mirchowk police probing the fraud involving constable, Vinay Kumar, working as writer in Home Guards unit-3 of city police, believe there is more to the scam than what meets the eye. A case under section 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) of Indian Penal Code was registered against the constable following a complaint lodged by Reserve Inspector, Bal Reddy.
There are three Home Guards units in Hyderabad police each headed by an Inspector rank of officer. Each unit comprises nearly 1,000 to 1,500 HGs. Kumar belonging to city police headquarters looks after salaries, duties and medical bills of HG unit-3 and stationed at the HG Commandant office in Purani Haveli of old city.
Honorarium
After getting enrolled as HGs, some persons opt out having secured other jobs and for different reasons. The HGs are given daily honorarium but the amount is paid after a month or a few months. This honorarium is given based on their attendance to duties.
Since HGs work at different wings like police stations and other places, their attendance details are sent by the police stations or wings concerned to the HG units. If this process is delayed, the HGs would not get the honorarium. To avoid this, the city police head quarters office -which enrols the HGs- also sends the attendance details.
Take advantage
Thus, sometimes attendance sheets of the same HG are sent both by the head quarters office and the police station where the HG is working.
Taking advantage of the situation, Vinay Kumar used to present both the attendance sheets, the investigators said. Honorarium obtained through the first report would be deposited in the account of the HG.
“He used to play mischief with the second attendance sheet. The honorarium to be given through this second sheet would be deposited in the account of the HG who quit the work,” the police said.
The HGs, who quit, surrender their bank debit cards and Kumar allegedly used them to withdraw the money deposited in their account.
While it was found that Kumar allegedly misappropriated Rs. 5.86 lakh from September, 2011, the investigators suspect the amount could be much higher and similar frauds were committed in other HG units.
