Pune: HR officer arrested for cheating security agency of Rs 2 crore
Makes fake registrations; misappropriates PF, GST funds
Pune: An HR officer of a security guard supplying firm cheated the company of Rs 2 crore by showing the employees on the company’s roll, who left the firm earlier and by transferring PF, GST funds to his relatives’ bank accounts.
The matter was revealed when the GST, ESI departments sent notices to the company directing it to pay heavy penalties for not depositing funds.
Supriya Avinash Sankpal, resident of Chandan Nagar, lodged a complaint at the Chandan Nagar Police Station in this connection. Later, the police arrested Sandesh Sanjay Tarte, resident of Awhalwadi. The incident took place at Sion Vigilant Services at Raghvendra Nagar in Chandan Nagar between April 1, 2016 and August 30, 2020.
According to the police, the complainant works at Sion Vigilant Services, which supplies security guards. Sandesh Tarte was working as HR/Admin officer in the firm.
He was looking after financial transactions related to employees PF, ESI and GST, etc. He had access to all online transactions. The company was shut down during the pandemic. It closed down operations gradually from 2023. The firm received notices from government agencies concerned. The company verified the details given by Tarte with the agencies and found the irregularities.
After a thorough inquiry, it was found that Tarte did not deposit the company’s funds in the EPFO, ESI and GST offices but transferred them elsewhere. He also transferred company funds by showing the staffers, who left work, as regular employees and deposited their salaries in his bank account.
Tarte also transferred funds to his father’s bank account from the CMS portal made available to the company by ICICI Bank. Thus, he siphoned off Rs 13,31,112 to his relatives’ accounts. He created a fake salary account. He transferred money from the firm’s current account to accounts of his father, brother, uncle, aunt and mother. He won the confidence of the complainant and cheated the company of around Rs 2 crore between 2015 and 2020.
The Chandan Nagar Police held Sandesh Tarte. He was produced before the court, which granted his police custody till February 1. API Dattaprasad Shendge was investigating the matter.
