Anti-Drone tech firm employee booked for Rs 13.3L fraud

Hyderabad: A representative of a city-based private firm that supplies anti-drone technology to the armed forces has lodged a complaint with the Jubilee Hills police, alleging that an employee in the procurement wing misappropriated Rs 13.3 lakh.According to the complainant, P Durga Sitaram, the management detected irregularities during a routine audit at the company’s R&D facility in Jubilee Hills. An internal review flagged discrepancies in procurement transactions processed by P Jeevan, assistant manager (procurement & compliance).The complainant alleged that supplier invoices were manipulated by destroying a physical invoice that showed the original product value of Rs 2,950 and uploading another invoice for the same goods showing a value of Rs 3.2 lakh in the procurement system. The audit also reportedly uncovered multiple transactions routed through a suspected fictitious entity into the personal savings account of the accused.“The amounts are based on the preliminary findings. The company suspects a potential exposure of up to Rs 13.3 lakh, subject to completion of forensic verification and confirmation of bank payment records,” the complainant alleged.Based on the complaint, Jubilee Hills police registered a case under Sections 316(4) (criminal breach of trust by clerk or servant) and 318(2) (cheating) of the BNS. “The complainant also said that the accused recently returned around Rs 7 lakh. We are collecting evidence,” a Jubilee Hills police official said.