Three-year fraud uncovered: Own manager allegedly cheats Mumbai businessman of Rs 77 lakh

The complainant told the police that, due to financial difficulties, he had to close his own bank account. In October 2022, he opened a new account in his manager’s name, which he used for business transactions.

An officer said, “The businessman trusted him because they had worked together for over 20 years, which is why he had no hesitation in opening a bank account under the manager’s name. However, two months later, in December 2022, he noticed some discrepancies amounting to Rs 60,000. Still, as the manager was a loyal employee, he chose not to confront him.”

In November 2024, while the manager was away visiting his family in Uttar Pradesh, the businessman began communicating with clients directly. It was then that he discovered the manager had taken payments from all the clients without informing him.

“There were no entries in the bank statement either, as the manager had told the businessman that the clients were not making payments. When the businessman began incurring losses and could not pay his workers’ salaries, he investigated further and discovered that the manager had collected Rs 52 lakh from one client, Rs 27 lakh from another, and Rs 3.4 lakh, Rs 2.5 lakh, and Rs 2.4 lakh respectively from others,” an officer added. However, the manager had reportedly informed the complainant of only Rs 11 lakh in total, leaving Rs 77 lakh unaccounted for. When confronted and asked to produce the bank statements, the manager gave vague responses and eventually fled in the first week of March.

The businessman then approached the Dongri police station and lodged a complaint. Following a preliminary inquiry, the authorities registered a case of cheating against the manager.