2 behind bars for attempting to embezzle Rs 5L

VARANASI: An attempt to grab Rs 5.39 lakh of income-tax refund of a prominent industrialist by a man (a lawyer who also works as a chartered accountant) and his accomplice cost dear to both as they were sent to jail on Monday evening.
According to district government counsel A K Singh, this was a case of complete breech of confidential and fiduciary relationship between a lawyer or CA and their client in which district judge N K Jain rejected the bail plea of accused Navin Singh alias Narendra Narain Singh and his accomplice Abdul Wahab Khan on Monday evening.
A K Singh said that Navin Singh initially worked in the firm of a chartered accountant O P Tulsyan who handled the accounts of an industrialist, Ajit Kumar Gupta.
While working with the firm of Tulsyan, Navin procured a copy of Gupta's pan card, his photograph and other documents needed for opening a bank account in 2005.
A K Singh said that on March 22, 2005, the income-tax department sent an account payee cheque of I-T refund amount Rs 5,39,087 in the name of Gupta.
Navin somehow got this cheque after which, he, his wife Manjushree and Wahab, a trader of Naisadak area, reached the Naisadak branch of Bank of Baroda, where on the introduction of Wahab, Navin and Manjushree opened their savings accounts.
In the column of their profession, Navin showed himself a professor and his wife a trader.
Besides, they also opened the account of Gupta on a fake address by promising that Gupta would appear before the bank manager in a day or two.
To ensure that bank employees do not doubt their intentions, before depositing the cheque of I-T refund in Gupta's fake account, Navin deposited a cheque of Rs 50,000 by procuring it from some trader named as Taz Mohammad. But the bank officials became alert when a letter sent for the address verification of Gupta returned. After it, the bank officials freezed the account opened in the name of Gupta due to which the amount of I-T refund could not be withdrawn.
After these malpractices came to the knowledge of Gupta, he sought a clarification from the bank officials and also reported the matter to Chetganj police.
But he failed to get any reply from bank while police also did not show interest in taking any action in this episode.
Gupta took the shelter of court after which an FIR was lodged with Chetganj police in this connection on February 19, 2009.
The investigation by police led to sensational revelations. It came to light that the man who posed as chartered accountant Navin Singh claimed that he was Narendra Narayan Singh, a lawyer.
To avoid arrest, Navin and Wahab reached Allahabad High Court for anticipatory bail but the HC asked them to take shelter of the local court only. Despite filing the chargesheet in this case, the cops avoided arresting Navin and his accomplice by claiming that it could result in a law and order problem.
The district government counsel said that the final hearing on their bail plea took place in the court of district and sessions judge N K Jain, who rejected their plea, after which both the accused were sent to jail.