Another civic body under lens over Rs 27L fraud, accountant booked

Hisar: A case of alleged embezzlement, forgery and fraud involving over Rs 27.63 lakh of govt funds has surfaced in the Jakhal Municipal Committee, following which police have registered an FIR against a suspended accountant. The case pertains to the alleged fraudulent transfer of municipal funds from an official bank account using forged signatures and fabricated documents. According to the complaint submitted to the superintendent of police, Fatehabad, irregularities came to light during the preparation and verification of financial records by a chartered accountant firm engaged by the Municipal Committee, Jakhal Mandi. During scrutiny of records, it was found that Rs 27,63,344 was allegedly transferred on Dec 31, 2024, from the municipal committee's IndusInd Bank account to another account belonging to one Sandeep Singh through a banking transaction. Municipal authorities stated that no payment voucher related to the transaction was available in office records, prompting a preliminary inquiry. Documents obtained from the bank reportedly included a cheque copy and specimen signature records. During verification, officials alleged that signatures of the municipal secretary appearing on the cheque did not match the original signatures. The complaint further alleged that both the primary and secondary signatures on the cheque appeared to have been made by Mahender Singh, the accountant of the Municipal Committee, who is currently under suspension. Authorities also claimed that the dispatch entry and specimen signatures submitted to the bank were allegedly prepared and signed by the same official, indicating forgery and criminal conspiracy. Officials stated that a clarification notice was issued to Mahender Singh on April 8, 2026, but he neither submitted any reply nor appeared before the office within the stipulated period. The absence of any response was cited by the complainant as indicative of his inability to defend the allegations. Acting on the complaint and inquiry report submitted by the Economic Offences Wing, police at Jakhal police station registered an FIR under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including charges related to criminal breach of trust, forgery, fraud and criminal conspiracy. The complaint was formally forwarded by Praveen Kumar, secretary of Municipal Committee Jakhal Mandi, who urged the police administration to initiate strict legal action considering the seriousness of the alleged financial fraud involving public funds. Police said the investigation in the matter is underway and further action would be taken based on evidence collected during the probe. MSID:: 131203114 413 |