Pooja Bhalerao who worked with Mumbai police as senior clerk at Naigaon police headquarters appears to have taken the entire Local Arms Unit of the Mumbai Police for a ride after it was revealed that she stole the rewards money meant for over 500 top performing officers.
Pooja Bhalerao (accused) was responsible for dispensing the cash rewards when she was posted at Naigaon police headquarters between 2012 and 2016. Bhalerao said, “during my tenure I have accumulated over ₹1.39 lakh, by transferring reward sums into her own account”.
The fraudulent act came into light on September 9, when a constable approached Commissioner of Police Dattatray Padsalgikar, claiming that his cash reward had not been deposited into his account. The CP asked him to file a complaint with the
Bhoiwada police station, under whose jurisdiction the Naigaon police falls. The case was later transferred to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW).
Officially officers within the Local Arms Unit receive cash rewards for a range of accomplishments and good detection, effective bandobast duty, and performance in competitive sports, among others and the cash rewards from a range of ₹100 to ₹15,000.
To take the approval for the rewards a list has to prepared and sent to the additional commissioner of police for approval. The list is then sent to the senior clerk stationed at the Naigaon headquarters of the police, who then attaches the bank account details of the officials, and sends it to the pay and accounts department in Bandra and finally department transfers the money into the given police official’s bank account.
Pooja Bhalerao always list her own account number instead of that of the officers’. “She would add her account number against different officer’s names each time to avoid raising suspicion,” the official said.
Bhalerao continued this exercise for almost four years, and also managed to evade suspicion during this time, for want of any complaints against her. The Bhoiwada police registered an FIR against Bhalerao under Sections 406, 420, 465 of the IPC for theft and cheating and EOW is investigating the case further.
