Thomas Cook ex-employee in Mumbai siphons off nearly Rs 1 crore, booked

Rao was posted as an implant (an employee deputed to a company’s regular big business house clients) with an Andheri-based regular client of the complainant company. Implants are deputed to take care of the flights and other bookings for the employees of the client company.

According to the police, Thomas Cook India Limited noticed the fraud when it sought claim of the bill vouchers of their Andheri-based client. The client company informed them that out of the total claim, 250 flight tickets and 35 invoices amounting to Rs 94.07 lakh were neither booked or utilised by their employees and hence refused to pay that amount, investigators said.

During an internal audit by Thomas Cook in June 2023, the audit, credit control, and collection teams found that those 250 flight tickets were booked by Rao through a bogus profile created using the client company’s employee’s unique ID. He also allegedly created bogus invoices, according to the First Information Report.

“To avoid getting caught, he would enter his own mobile number while booking the flight tickets. After an audit report exposed Rao’s fraudulent practices, he was summoned to the company’s head office in Lower Parel and slapped with a show cause notice,” said an officer.

Rao admitted his wrongdoings before his seniors and told them that he had set up his own company along with his brother-in-law using the ill-gotten money, the police FIR stated.

He also told them that his company’s former employees were also helping him in the fraud, and he was getting a commission. He was subsequently sacked by the company.

The police have asked Thomas Cook to submit a copy of the audit report, which would have details of all the fraudulent transactions so as to collect evidence against Rao.

The police have booked Rao under sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 408 (criminal breach of trust by an employee), 420 (cheating), and 465 (forgery) of the Indian Penal Code.