Forgery slur on SMC clerk

TT, Siliguri, Sept. 16: The Siliguri Municipal Corporation today filed a police complaint, accusing an employee of withdrawing Rs 3.5 lakh from a bank account of the civic body by forging the signatures of two officers at the SMC in May.

Dipam Pal Chowdhury, the accused lower division clerk at the SMC, has been placed under suspension since August in connection with another forgery.

"Chowdhury was posted at the reception in the civic body. In May, a cheque-book was sent to us by our bank. He received the cheque book and instead of handing it over to the finance officer, kept it with himself. On May 3, he forged the signatures of the SMC commissioner and the finance officer, who are the authorised signatories of the civic body, and drew a cheque for Rs 3.5 lakh," said a source at the SMC.

The employee deposited the cheque in his own bank account and received Rs 3.5 lakh.

"Yesterday, as an account statement from the bank reached us. We found that an amount had been deposited in Chowdhury' account," the source said.

S.W. Bhutia, the commissioner of the SMC, today filed a complaint against Chowdhury at Siliguri police station.

Chowdhury, the SMC sources said, was suspended in August. "He prepared a work order and forged Bhutia's signature in August. Chowdhury then went to a cellphone shop and showing the work order, took two handsets, the total cost of which was around Rs 1.23 lakh," said the source.

"The matter came to light and Chowdhury's involvement was found. He was suspended immediately," an official said. At that time, the commissioner had filed another police complaint, but Chowdhury was not named in it.

Asked about the embezzlement, mayor Asok Bhattacharya said: "A police complaint has been filed. We have also written to the bank, asking it how the payment was made when the forged signatures were apparently not matching completely with those of the authorised signatories."

Officials at the Siliguri police station said they had started an investigation. "We suspect that the accused has gone into hiding to evade arrests. We are in search of him," an official said. "Our officers will also speak with the civic authorities and officials of the bank concerned."