HR manager of Mumbai company who was promoted during pandemic for good work siphons off Rs 30 lakh; arrested

Sharma had been working in the HR department of Vile Parle-based businessman Mehul Sanghvi’s company since 2018. As per Sanghvi’s complaint, employees in the accounts department left the company during the pandemic and Sharma had been taking care of all HR work as well as the accounts department since then.

Since she was qualified enough to make the right decision, Sanghvi said he trusted her more than anyone else in the company, the police said. He even shared his company’s accounts banking details and password with her so that in his absence she could look after important work.

He has also shared his email ID and password with her to help Sharma get OTPs received on email and complete the transactions, the police added.

In September, while an executive from the accounts department was filing the Income Tax Returns, he came across some suspicious transactions. Following this, Singhvi’s company scrutinised past transactions and discovered suspicious transactions worth Rs 31 lakh.

Entries of these transactions were registered in the company records in the name of the complainant’s capital returns, the FIR states. On checking these transactions, the complainant found that the money was transferred into a bank account which is jointly held by Sharma and her mother in Navi Mumbai, according to the FIR.

Singhvi then ordered scrutiny of his company’s transactions in the past five years.

The police said they suspect that the amount allegedly siphoned off by Sharma may be more.

On Sanghvi’s complaint, the Santacruz police on Saturday registered a case under sections 408 (criminal breach of trust by an employee) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Sharma and on Monday arrested her. She would be produced in the court on Tuesday, said an officer.