School accountant booked for embezzling 37 Lakh; funds diverted to wife’s account

Pune: The Nanded City police have registered a case of cheating and misappropriation against the accountant of a private English-medium school on Sinhagad Road for allegedly defrauding the institution of 37 lakh. The fraud reportedly took place between Nov 2024 and June 2025.The school principal, a resident of Ambegaon Budruk, lodged a formal complaint on Tuesday evening.Senior inspector Atul Bhos of the Nanded City police said, "The accountant and his wife are residents of Kolhewadi. Our investigation shows that during the specified period, the accountant transferred sums ranging from Rs1 lakh to Rs3 lakh to his wife's savings account on multiple occasions using school funds."To conceal these unauthorised transfers, the accountant allegedly manipulated the school's financial documentation. "The suspect created fake receipts, forged notes, and entered fraudulent records into the school register to mask the transactions made to his wife, who is not an employee of the institution," Bhos added.According to the police, the funds — originally intended for school operations and staff salaries — were diverted for personal gain.The discrepancy was discovered during a routine internal audit. School authorities realised that Rs37 lakh had been moved to a bank account with no business relevance to the school. A subsequent internal inquiry confirmed the accountant's involvement, leading the administration to approach the police.