Yet another fraud of tampering with cheques issued to the beneficiaries under the Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF) from the AP Secretariat came to light in the State on Tuesday.
A person, who allegedly tampered with three cheques and drew ₹10 lakh from an SBI branch in Kadapa district, has been taken into custody.
According to sources, one Bhaskar Reddy allegedly took three cheques issued to the beneficiaries for ₹25,000, and assured them of giving the amount. He reportedly tampered with the cheques by changing the amount, deposited in the bank, and encashed them.
“When the bank officials cross-checked with the issuing authority at Velagapudi, they said the cheques issued by them with particular numbers were only for ₹25,000 and cautioned the staff about possible fraud. The SBI authorities alerted the police, who took Bhaskar Reddy into custody,” a police official said.
“In the wake of the multi-crore fraud attempt with regard to CMRF in Karnataka, West Bengal and Delhi States, surfaced two days ago in the State, the alert bank officials verified the cheques deposited by the accused in the bank and confirmed that the cheques were tampered with,” the officer said.
“In this case the cheques were original and the signature of the issuing authority was not forged. The fraudster managed to change the amount and drew the cash,” an officer said.
Speaking to The Hindu on Tuesday, Director-General of Police (DGP) D. Gautam Sawang has said the Crime Investigation Department (CID) and the Kadapa police are jointly investigating the case.
Meanwhile, the CID sleuths, who are probing the alleged fraud attempt case with regard to CMRF, are trying to find out whether Bhaskar Reddy had any role in it also.
