Alert BoM official foils forgery

PUNE, Aug 6: An alert manager of the Bank of Maharashtra, Pune Cantonment branch prevented a conman from duping the branch after he had forged the signature of an account holder on a withdrawal slip.

Vinayak L Kelkar, (33) of Sadashiv Peth, allegedly tried to withdraw Rs 18,720 from Habib Ganif Kotwal’s savings account with the BoM after forging Kotwal’s signature on a withdrawal slip on July 31. He posed as Kotwal and obtained a pay order for the amount. The fraud was brought to the notice of the BoM authorities by Kotwal on Tuesday. BoM manager Dilip Tatke approached deputy commissioner of police Jagan Nath and lodged a complaint.

The police laid a trap at the Pune Cantonment branch of the City Bank to arrest Kelkar on Wednesday after Tatke told them the pay order was to be encashed there. Kelkar was arrested when he tried to encash the pay order.