MAPUSA
Mapusa Police arrested the LDC of the Mapusa electricity department allegedly involved in misappropriation of salary funds, after his anticipatory bail application was rejected by a Mapusa Court on Friday.
The Additional Sessions Court at Mapusa rejected the anticipatory bail application of the accused, Vinod Mayenkar, who allegedly misappropriated Rs 28 lakh from the electricity department.
Police arrested Mayenkar soon after the court order and will now produce him for remand on Saturday.
Public Prosecutor Anuradha Talaulikar told the court that the investigation was in a very primary stage, as the power department had sought details from the bank where the alleged accused had transferred the salary amount on fictitious names.
In his defence, Mayenkar said there was no order from the government entrusting him with the job of preparing the bills.
Rejecting the contention, the PP said the executive engineer of the Electricity Department in his complaint had clearly stated that the accused was in-charge of preparing the bills in the department.
Since the probe was in the preliminary stage and the investigation officer would need the presence of the accused for interrogation, the Additional Sessions Court Judge Desmond D’Costa rejected the accused’s anticipatory bail application.
Mayenkar had allegedly misappropriated Rs 28 lakh by transferring salaries in the name of five bogus staff employees. The alleged criminal activity was going on from April 2014 onwards.
The activity came to light recently when the accounts department stumbled on the salary bills of February in the name of five employees, which never existed.
An inquiry by the accounts department led them to Mayenkar and the bank accounts were traced in his name.
The power department suspended him on March 1, while Mapusa Police booked an offence against the accused on the same day. The LDC had subsequently applied for anticipatory bail.
