The Central Crime Branch (CCB) has launched an investigation into the alleged misappropriation of over Rs 59 lakh in the City Armed Reserve (CAR) of Bengaluru Police.
The probe came after Assistant Administrative Officer (AAO) D Rajalakshmi filed a complaint against former Second Division Assistant (SDA) Prashant DS and retired AAO Saroja B Bijapura.
According to the complaint, the irregularities took place from 2020 to 2023. In the audit conducted by the Accountant General, a discrepancy of Rs 59,80,839 was noticed in the rent guard charges from the financial year 2020-21 to 2022-23. Further investigation revealed unauthorized transactions in Canara Bank accounts designated for these funds.
Prashant, who was transferred in 2021, reportedly failed to hand over relevant files to his successor. Despite this error, Saroja, who was the then AAO, did not take any disciplinary action. Rajalakshmi alleged that the action of the two had caused a breach of trust, which caused a huge loss to the government.
The CCB registered a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 120B (criminal conspiracy), 408 (criminal breach of trust by clerk/servant), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), and 420 (cheating). . An investigation is underway to determine the extent of fraud and accountability.