MARGAO: The Margao police on Thursday night registered an offence against a Lower Divisional Clerk (LDC) employed by the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) for allegedly misappropriating Rs 17.96 lakh from the revenues collected from the Holy Spirit Church feast fair held in May.
Santosh Dessai, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Margao, confirmed that the offence has been registered under Sections 408 and 420 of the IPC. He noted that no arrests have been made yet.
MMC Chief Officer (CO) Gaurish Sankhwalkar lodged a complaint against the LDC, requesting that the police register an FIR against the employee for misappropriating municipal funds. The CO recently suspended the clerk.
In his complaint, Sankhwalkar alleged that the LDC, with criminal intent, dishonestly misappropriated Rs 17.96 lakh from the municipal exchequer to his personal accounts, committing offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The CO claimed that the LDC committed theft,
dishonest misappropriation of public funds, and criminal breach of trust by siphoning money collected as fees and fines from municipal vendors into his personal accounts.
During a preliminary inquiry, it was found that the clerk used the cash for personal use, depositing it in his bank accounts to clear his loans. The CO noted that the clerk admitted in an affidavit dated June 14 that Rs 17.96 lakh was in his custody and had not been deposited in the municipal treasury. On the same day, the clerk deposited Rs three lakh into the municipal treasury and requested more time to deposit the remaining balance.
