Wanted MSRTC Clerk Arrested for ₹21 Lakh Income Tax Fraud; Accused Misused Official Login Credentials

The Nagpada Police have arrested a 33-year-old suspended senior clerk of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) for allegedly embezzling over ₹21 lakh by misusing his position and manipulating online income tax transactions.

The accused, identified as Prathamesh Kailas Pawar, a resident of Kalyan’s Khadakpada area, had been absconding for nearly one and a half years before being traced and arrested. Pawar reportedly misused his official user ID and password to divert government funds meant for income tax payments into multiple personal bank accounts through fourteen online transactions.

According to officials, Amol Shelar, who was serving as an Assistant Accounts Officer at MSRTC’s Central Office in Mumbai Central, detected the irregularities. The department handles tax-related audits, registrations, and online income tax payments for all MSRTC branches through its State Bank account.

Pawar had joined the office as a senior clerk in 2018 and was responsible for preparing contractors’ bills and managing tax payments for various branches. For this purpose, he was given access to the bank’s login credentials.

In June 2024, Pawar stopped reporting to work, citing health issues. When staff attempted to contact him for an OTP required to complete tax payments, his mobile phone remained switched off, delaying crucial transactions. On reviewing his previous online activities, officials discovered fourteen suspicious transfers between 8 May and 18 June 2024, totaling ₹21,80,401, made to different bank accounts.

Upon discovering the fraud, Shelar reported the matter to senior MSRTC officials, who directed him to file a police complaint. Based on the complaint, Nagpada Police registered a case under Sections 406, 408, 417, and 418 of the Indian Penal Code, along with Section 66(D) of the Information Technology Act.

Following the FIR, Pawar went underground, prompting a months-long police search. Recently, investigators received information that the accused would be arriving at Ambedkar Road in Sion, where a team in plain clothes laid a trap and successfully apprehended him.

During interrogation, Pawar confessed to committing the fraud. Preliminary investigations revealed that he had invested the embezzled funds in stock trading. Police sources also disclosed that Pawar was in the habit of investing heavily in shares and had borrowed significant sums from fellow employees for the same purpose.

The police are now tracing the money trail and verifying whether more individuals or accounts were involved in the diversion of funds.