Former Chandigarh MC accountant received Rs 9 crore: Police

In a fresh development in the ongoing probe into the alleged scam of over Rs 116 crore in Chandigarh Smart City Company (CSCL) funds, the Chandigarh Police have claimed that accused Anubhav Mishra, a former accountant of the MC, received Rs 9 crore for preparing forged fixed deposits.

The police made this claim in a reply submitted to the court while opposing Mishra’s anticipatory bail application.

In the bail application filed through advocate Varinder Arora, the accused denied all allegations and said he had no authority to make any transaction from the bank accounts.

The police, however, claimed that as per a statement given by accused Ribhav Rishi, a former employee of IDFC First Bank, Mishra had received Rs 9 crore in instalments. The accused used to stay in luxury hotels in Himachal Pradesh and the bills were paid by Rishi.

The FIR against Mishra and bank officers was registered on a complaint filed by the Municipal Commissioner. The MC had found that fixed deposit receipts (FDRs) amounting to Rs 116.84 crore, which were shown as active assets, did not exist in the account statement obtained from the IDFC First Bank on February 24.

The police claimed Mishra was fully aware of the forged FDRs as well as the transfer of funds from the said account. He was working as an accountant on an outsource basis.

Soon after the scam came to light, the MC had terminated his services. The police claimed that Mishra, in connivance with other accused, created approvals for the preparation of fixed deposits (FDs) and also forged FDs for amounts that never existed in the account. He procured blank FD receipts from an official of the IDFC First Bank, Sector 32, Chandigarh, and prepared forged FDs in connivance with bank officials, which were subsequently submitted to the MC to cover up the scam.

Since Mishra’s mobile number was registered with the newly opened account of the MC, Rs 3.23 crore was transferred from it to Capco Fintech Services (a shell company) and Rs 4.98 crore to Sunlive Solar System.

These entities were not empanelled with the MC.

Since the Branch Manager did not have the authority to authorise the transaction of Rs 4.98 crore, Mishra arranged an approval letter for the transfer of the amount to Sunlive Solar System.

Before approving the transaction, a senior bank official called up Mishra on the registered mobile number, and upon his confirmation, the amount was credited to the company’s account.