More skeletons tumble out

Aneesha Sareen

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 3

The scam involving financial bungling of Rs 2.8 crore that hit the pension cell of Panjab University (PU) last month has got murkier with the UT police dispatching teams to Himachal Pradesh (HP) to arrest four more beneficiaries in the case today.

The beneficiaries include parents, sister-in -law and brother-in-law of prime accused Pooja Bagga. Police said an amount of Rs 23-25 lakh was diverted by the accused fraudulently to their bank accounts.

Meanwhile, a local court today extended the police remand of Pooja Bagga further by two days as the UT police stated that during her interrogation she had disclosed to the police that the amount that was fraudulently withdrawn was being diverted to the bank accounts of her parents — Sampooran and Sarita - and her sister-in-law and brother-in-law- Paramjit and Ravi Kumar, respectively. The police said their locations have been traced to a village in Himachal Pradesh and all four will be arrested soon.

The police had earlier arrested Pooja’s husband Jatinder and brother-in-law Baljinder who are in judicial custody as the money was diverted to their accounts.

Police investigations have revealed that an amount ranging from Rs 23 to Rs 25 lakh each was diverted to their bank accounts in several installments over the last three years.

The police said the PU Superintendent, Naresh Sabherwal, who is an accused and was arrested on September 28, is emerging as the mastermind as he used to make vouchers in the name of Bagga’s relatives and his handwriting on the vouchers is vital evidence against him. After the money was transferred into the bank accounts of Pooja 

Bagga’s relatives, he used to keep the lion’s share and give only a small percentage share of the amount to Bagga after the money was withdrawn.

Pooja Bagga has remained in police custody since September 21 and will now be presented in court on Monday.

‘I trusted my lower staff’ FDO told cops

PU’s Finance Development Officer (FDO) Vikram Nayyar who was called for questioning in the case and is under the scanner told the police that he trusted his lower staff in good faith and used to sign vouchers and cheques being the authority. He stated that he was handling this work since 2008 and never had such discrepancy occurred. He also stated that since the work involved releasing of pension amount, he used to dispose of the cheques quickly so as not to delay the pension amount. As he trusted his lower staff, he used to overlook minute details. The police said there was no direct involvement of Nayyar in the fraud though he might be called for questioning again. Two PU Auditors - Ashok Goyal and Kishan Lal Sharma - who are under the scanner will be called for questioning on Monday.

The case

After financial irregularities were detected in the PU, an internal probe had indicted clerk Pooja Bagga and Superintendent Naresh and the case was handed over to the police. The accused showed that the money was intended for pensioners, but the same was diverted to the bank accounts of her relatives. Pooja, posted in the pension cell, playing on the fact that there was no double entry system in the checks and balances system, had diverted money to the bank accounts of her family members reusing old vouchers. The FIR was registered on a complaint of the Chief Security Officer (CSO), Jitender Grover, of the PU. Panjab University has already recovered Rs 92 lakh.

Rs 2.8-cr pension fraud

The accused till now Arrested (four) 

• Pooja Bagga: Clerk, a contractual employee posted with the pension cell. 
• Naresh Sabherwal: Superintendent posted with the pension cell.

Direct beneficiaries 

• Jatinder: Pooja’s husband
• Baljinder: Pooja’s brother-in-law

To be arrested (four)

• Pooja’s father: Sampooran Singh
• Mother: Paramjit Kaur
• Sister-in-law: Paramjit Kaur
• Brother-in-law: Ravi