Building number fraud: Police yet to make any headway in probe

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Almost a week after an FIR was filed by the cyber police in connection with the building number fraud in the city corporation, the police have not been able to make any headway in the probe.
The civic body had asked the two temporary data entry operators not to turn up for the job as the final step in the assignment of building number was found to have been done in the system they frequently used.
The cyber police on the other hand have gone on a different line of inquiry. Till date, the two employees haven’t even been summoned for questioning.
According to the investigating officers, questioning the building owner will lead the way to the agent and eventually to the staff who allegedly committed the fraud.
“At present, the owner is absconding. His phone has been switched off. Hopefully, he will be held for questioning very soon. We don’t have anything concrete to take the two temporary staff for questioning now,’’ said an officer associated with the cyber police.
Police said that without any back file or formal application, the building number was awarded to the construction and in such cases, probe will begin only from the owner concerned.
The line of inquiry of police is a major setback for the corporation. The staff were told not to come to office when the press meet of the mayor was going on. Till date, they had not received anything in writing.
The internal probe team of the city corporation had found out that the person who committed the fraud used three different logins and completed nearly seven steps in five minutes.
However, it is learnt that if at all the temporary staff had to commit a fraud, they already had passwords of superior officers at the main office and there was no need to access passwords of a bill collector or a revenue inspector employed in another zonal office.
This weakens the speculations put forward by the probe team, which apparently prompted the ruling council to take action against the temporary staff to silence the opposition.
With the investigation making no headway, the council meeting scheduled on July 14 has also been postponed. The ruling council is apprehensive of a backlash from the opposition during the council meeting.