Ghost employee scam drains Rs 6.41 crore from Mumbai Police

A Rs 6.41 crore payroll fraud in the Mumbai Police surfaced during a software migration, with 10 fictitious employees allegedly paid between 2019 and 2020. The case has led to suspensions, criminal charges and renewed demands for a full and transparent investigation.

In Short

• The fraud emerged during migration from Sevarth to a new payroll platform
• Ten outsiders were allegedly entered repeatedly as staff and paid monthly
• Payments were concentrated between December 2019 and February 2020, then June-September 2020

A Rs 6.41 crore payroll fraud involving the Mumbai Police Department has come to light nearly six years after salaries were allegedly disbursed to 10 fictitious employees between 2019 and 2020. The scam surfaced during the migration of employee records from the Sevarth salary portal to a new software platform, triggering a detailed scrutiny of payroll data.

According to a complaint filed by a police officer from the North Regional Division, the names of 10 non-police personnel were repeatedly entered into official records as employees, enabling them to receive monthly salaries directly into their bank accounts.

The fictitious names listed in the FIR are Ramdas Bhogle, Sudhakar Kadam, Sarju Yadav, Bhagwat Bhosale, Gunaji Khavkar, Mahadev Haldankar, Rajendra Sonar, Uttam Thorat, Suryakant Patil and Pandurang Kadam.

Police said the fraudulent salary payments were made mainly during two periods, from December 2019 to February 2020 and from June to September 2020. Investigators alleged that ministerial-level clerks manipulated attendance registers and service records to create ghost employees and add outsiders to the payroll.

A case has been registered against five officials who were serving at the time. Those named in the FIR include former administrative officers Ramkishan Goswami, Nagesh Talvadekar and Vijaya Chavan, along with Head Clerk Ajay Rathod and Senior Clerk Amol Meshram. They have been booked under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy.

The Mumbai Police Department has suspended Vijaya Chavan and Amol Meshram after allegations that they created fake Service IDs and Defined Contribution Pension Scheme (DCPS) IDs to facilitate unauthorised salary payments. Investigators alleged that the duo added 10 fictitious employees and approved their monthly salaries.

Responding to the development, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the fraud dates back to 2020 and is not a recent incident.

"The scam is from 2020, not today. Action has been underway, and everyone involved has faced and will continue to face action," Fadnavis said. He added that any suspicion backed by evidence must be thoroughly investigated and assured that a complete probe would be conducted into the matter.

Minister of State for Home Yogesh Kadam said the government was taking the matter seriously and that strict action would be ensured against those found responsible.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anand Dubey criticised the incident and demanded accountability, saying the alleged fraud reflected serious lapses in the administration and called for a transparent investigation.

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