Former Mumbai Police Officer Arrested in ₹6.5 Crore Ghost Employee Salary Scam
MUMBAI: The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a former administrative officer in connection with an alleged salary fraud involving the Mumbai Police, in which around ₹6.5 crore was reportedly paid to people who were not genuine police employees.
The accused, identified as 61-year-old Ramkishan Ganesh Goswami, was taken into custody by Unit 12 of the Mumbai Crime Branch from his residence in Kanjurmarg East. Goswami had previously served as an administrative officer with the Northern Regional Division of the Mumbai Police.
Investigators believe the alleged fraud involved the creation and maintenance of records for 10 fictitious employees, whose salaries were regularly credited into bank accounts despite the individuals not being genuine police personnel.
How the alleged salary scam came to light
The irregularities were reportedly discovered when Mumbai Police began shifting employee and salary records from the old Sevarth payroll system to a new software platform.
During the process, officials carried out checks on employee data and came across records that raised questions. An internal audit subsequently revealed that 10 people listed in the system as employees were allegedly not part of the police force.
Despite this, salary payments had reportedly continued to be processed in their names and deposited into bank accounts.
The people named in the FIR include Ramdas Bhogle, Sudhakar Kadam, Sarju Yadav, Bhagwat Bhosale, Gunaji Khavkar, Mahadev Haldankar, Rajendra Sonar, Uttam Thorat, Suryakant Patil and Pandurang Kadam.
According to investigators, the alleged fraudulent payments accumulated over time and resulted in a loss of approximately ₹6.5 crore.
Several others under investigation
Goswami is not the only person being investigated in the case.
Authorities have also identified several other individuals who are allegedly linked to the suspected fraud. These include administrative officer Nagesh Talwadekar, clerks Vijay Chavan and Ajay Rathod, and senior clerk Amol Mesharam.
The four individuals are currently reported to be evading arrest, and investigators are continuing efforts to locate them.
The Crime Branch is examining the role allegedly played by each person and is also trying to establish how the fictitious employee records were created, approved and maintained for such a long period.
Investigators examining the money trail
A major focus of the investigation is the financial trail.
Officials are expected to examine the bank accounts into which the salaries were deposited, determine who controlled those accounts and establish whether the money was ultimately shared among multiple people involved in the alleged scheme.
Investigators are also looking at payroll records and other official documents to understand how the fictitious employees were entered into the system and how their salaries continued to be processed without being detected earlier.
The transition from the old payroll system to the new software appears to have played an important role in bringing the alleged irregularities to light.
Probe continues
The arrest of Goswami marks a significant development in the investigation, but the case is still unfolding.
The Crime Branch is questioning the arrested former officer and examining documents and financial records connected with the alleged scam. Investigators are also expected to establish the full extent of the financial loss and identify everyone who may have benefited from the suspected fraudulent salary payments.
The case highlights the importance of regular audits and verification of government employee records, particularly when large numbers of salaries are processed electronically.
As the investigation progresses, authorities will be looking to determine how 10 alleged fictitious employees remained on the payroll and how the suspected payments were authorised without being detected earlier.
News source: Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
