Treasury employee siphons off Rs 2 crore from Thiruvananthapuram collector’s account

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major financial fraud in the state treasury, Rs 2 crore was found to have been swindled from the account of the Thiruvananthapuram district collector through an account at sub-treasury in Vanchiyoor.
The money is found to have been diverted by a treasury senior accountant M R Bijulal using the username and password of another official who retired from service on May 31. The official was suspended by the treasury director who also filed a police complaint against him.

On June 29, it was observed that about Rs 2 crore was transferred from the district collector’s account to three other savings accounts. Further, it was found that he then transferred Rs 62 lakh to another bank account outside the treasury. After the matter came to light, district collector Navjot Khosa sought a report from the treasury director and also asked the director to lodge a police complaint. An internal inquiry by treasury joint director into the incident has also been launched.
On the basis of complaint from the treasury director, Vanchiyoor police registered a case against Bijulal, a native of Balaramapuram, by including relevant sections of IPC and IT act. “The investigation is on. It has to be verified whether he has done it alone or in connivance with others. The police are exploring all options,” said city police commissioner Balram Kumar Upadhyaya.
Also, it is reliably learnt that there were lapses by the district treasury as the username and password of the retired official should have been deleted immediately after retirement. Sources in the treasury said that there are loopholes in the software system, and when the online system was implemented this was taken up with authorities several times.
Meanwhile, the joint council of state service organizations, an organization of employees affiliated to CPI, has demanded that in the wake of several incidents of money swindling from the treasury, the government should undertake a probe by removing treasury director and joint director V Sajan who is also in charge of treasury vigilance.
The organization demanded said that such issues are recurring because the treasury director is trying to protect the culprits. Joint council chairman G Motilal said that both the officials are protecting those who committed irregularities in the past, demoralizing sincere officials. Only if they are removed from the post and a vigilance probe is conducted, the faith in the functioning of treasury can be restored, they said.