Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau.
The key accused in the Rs 135 crore embezzlement, has revealed the name of the person who forged the fraud cheques. case. The police have begun a manhunt for him now.
The Udham Singh Nagar district police had arrested two men in connection with the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 13.5 crore from the joint account of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Competent Authority for Land Acquisition (CALA) at IndusInd Bank’s Rudrapur branch. The funds were siphoned off using three forged cheques on August 28 and 31.
The key accused, Lalit Kumar Mahendra alias Lali, was arrested from Zirakpur, Punjab, on October 3. The police had earlier arrested bank manager Devendra Singh and cashier Priyam Singh for their involvement. After obtaining a 24-hour custody remand, police interrogated Lali and Singh face-to-face, revealing further leads in the case.
“During the interrogation, Lali provided crucial information about Raj Sharma from Sonipat, who allegedly prepared the fake cheques,” SSP Manikant Mishra stated. “We are working to arrest Sharma and recover the computer, printer, and other equipment used in the crime.”
Investigations also revealed that 10 new accounts were opened at IndusInd Bank’s Rudrapur branch just a month or two before the fraud. The police discovered that Rs 12.62 crore had been withdrawn from the NHAI-CALA account in late August.
Police have identified Lali’s accomplices, including his sister Meenu Bathla, based on CCTV footage. A lookout circular has been issued to prevent them from fleeing the country. Investigations in Jaipur and Mumbai have confirmed the involvement of several others, including Vinod Sharma and Praveen Sharma, who received Rs 2.5 crore in their accounts.
