Embezzlement led to Saji pilfering heroin

CHANDIGARH: The embezzlement at Chandigarh office of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) could have led disgraced IPS officer Saji Mohan to go for sale of contraband in Mumbai to make up for the embezzled amount. This is the interpretation of police here, who interrogated the fallen IPS officer for eight days in a case pertaining to embezzlement of Rs 13.81 lakh.
DIG Mahabir Singh, head of Economic Offences Wing (EOW), said Saji���s deputy and co-accused Balwinder Singh was in regular touch with him, even after Saji was relieved to join enforcement directorate (ED) at Cochin.He said the fallen IPS officer had taken a major chunk of the money, and had used it to pay instalments for paying off loans taken from various banks.
I have read the papers and records. I am confident that this case has been cracked, assured IG UT SK Jain. He said the money was embezzled, the locks of the malkhana and the box containing money were broken without the permission of the court, and Saji Mohan did it. We are sure of this and have evidence to prove it as well, said the IG. He said although inputs suggested connection between the embezzlement and drugs case at Mumbai, they have not informed ATS about it.
Meanwhile, giving details, the DIG told mediapersons that they have taken details relating to Rs 8.59 lakh from Saji, who claimed that out of this, Balwinder took approximately Rs 2.5 lakh. He said on December 31, 2008, he took loan of Rs 8 lakh from State Bank of India?s PEC branch to buy Honda Civic car. He made two payments, of Rs 1.65 lakh and Rs 2 lakh to the bank in cash. The DIG said he spent Rs 60,000 to send his household items to Cochin, and gave Rs 24,000 to Balwinder to send his new car to Cochin.
There were several other instalments which were paid in cash,? the DIG said. The DIG who led the interrogation, stated that Saji was very clever and shrewd and had not given any clear answers. It was during scrutiny of the documents that we found he had taken another loan from Jammu branch of HDFC Bank, he said.
He further told TOI that he has written to all the banks to see whether he had any other account with them. He had told them that his wife had no bank account. The DIG said the duo broke the lock of the malkhana to steal Rs 13.81 lakh from the box and had been using it for over the last two years. Saji had taken over here in February 2007 and his deputy was promoted in March the same year.
Initially, they were using the money for official purposes, but later, he (Saji) used it for meeting personal expenses, the DIG stated. He said before relinquishing charge here, he signed the receipt with the promise to Balwinder that he would deposit the money.
The DIG said Saji got approval for depositing money in the bank from his higher-ups on December 22, stating that the notes confiscated would get soiled soon, and the receipt was prepared on the same date. As per routine functioning, this does not happen on the same day, stated the DIG.
During interrogation, the IPS officer admitted that he had travelled to Sri Lanka and Japan during his stay here. He is claiming it to be an official trip, but it has to be verified. He has also told us about his purchases, said the DIG, adding that they would be sending their team to Cochin to recover the car and confiscate the material. He further stated that he was a spendthrift and was a regular at parties and discos. He travelled to Cochin twice with his family by air, and used to stay at five-star hotels during his visits to Mumbai and other cities.