Surat police have booked a maintenance manager for allegedly stealing ₹40 lakh from a residential society. The accused, Mahesh Patel, faces serious charges including cheating and forgery under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
This case emerged after Ankit Agrawal, a textile trader and office-bearer at Punyabhumi Society in Althan, filed a complaint. He discovered discrepancies in the society’s finances when a cheque for ₹1 lakh was returned due to insufficient funds. It raised red flags since Patel had previously presented a balance sheet claiming a surplus of ₹38 lakh.
Patel, who earned ₹24,000 per month as the society’s maintenance manager, was supposed to manage all financial transactions and collect maintenance fees. But Agrawal’s scrutiny revealed that the balance sheet was allegedly forged. Further investigation uncovered that Patel had funneled ₹10 lakh from maintenance funds into his personal account over the last year.
In addition to this transfer, police learned that he also encashed fixed deposits totaling ₹30 lakh—funds initially meant for the society but later redirected elsewhere.
The local police are continuing their inquiry to trace how these funds were moved and whether more irregularities exist within the society’s accounts.