Key accused among four arrested in Punjabi University fake billing scam

The arrested suspects in Punjabi University fake billing scam will be produced in a Patiala court seeking police remand

Police on Monday arrested four accused, including kingpin Nishu Chaudhary, in the Punjabi University fake billing scam more than a month after registration of FIR in the case.

The scam came to light after cash-strapped Punjabi University internal audit department and finance wing in May flagged five bills amounting to ₹6 lakh wherein stamp and signatures of a department head were found to be fake. (HT photo)

Those arrested are Jatinder Singh, Ashu Kumar and Sonu Kumar besides Nishu. Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Sourav Jindal said Nishu, a senior assistant in the university, was arrested from Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh.

“The accused will be produced in a local court seeking police remand. We will try to find out how they managed to siphon off funds,” he added.

A case under sections 420 (cheating), 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 465 (for making forged documents), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged), 201 (tempering of evidences) and 381 (theft) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against the accused.

It was in May when the cash-strapped university’s internal audit department and finance wing flagged five bills amounting to ₹6 lakh. The stamp and signatures of a department head were found to be fake and the names of research scholars and assistants against whom the bills were raised also turned out to be bogus.