13 Bengaluru water board officials ‘who siphoned off Rs 1.7 crore’ paid by customers suspended

According to sources, such scams have taken place in 45 divisions and that a huge amount was misappropriated in the Bommanahalli zone. They were suspended on Wednesday, after an audit report was submitted.

The incident came to light in December 2022. Officials who collected water bills in cash were supposed to report the payments on the Sajala software and remit the money to the board’s account.

However, some employees on outsourced jobs were found to have managed to obtain the login IDs and passwords of superintendents and revenue managers at the subdivisions. Instead of depositing the cash, the accused officials allegedly uploaded only the copies of the customer receipts confirming payment.

After an internal inquiry, board officials filed a police complaint and three employees were arrested. The internal audit has suggested that such misappropriations had taken place since 2016 and the total amount swindled is suspected to be Rs 7 crore.