TURA: The manager of a petrol station at Rongram, near Tura, is absconding after siphoning off several lakhs of rupees of the firm which he transferred into his own account over a period of time prompting the police to launch a manhunt after a complaint was lodged with the authorities on Sunday.
The manager of Momin Pol Service, Mohit Jain, was supposed to deposit the daily collection of cash from the sale of oil into the firm’s bank account every day.
Instead, the accused was secretly transferring the collected money into a separate account for the last couple of days taking advantage of the ongoing situation engulfing Garo Hills where the pumps shut down after only four hours of service.
On Saturday afternoon he once again left the station with the hard currency destined for the bank. According to the owner of the station, the manager made a call to inform that service was down at the bank and he would try and deposit the amount once the internet link was restored.
That was the last they heard of him and his cell phone was disconnected.
On Sunday when he failed to turn up for work frantic efforts were made to trace him with initial suspicion being of him getting kidnapped by militants. It was only found out later that money to the tune of several lakh rupees which the station had earned from the sale of oil was never deposited in the firm’s account.
“As of now we know that money to the tune of eight lakh rupees is missing but the amount could be more. The final figure will be known once the bank opens and all transactions are checked,” informed the owner of the station who has already filed an FIR with the police.
The accused manager had been working at the station for the last one year. Though he hails from Rajasthan his family, including parents, are said to reside in Manipur where they have business interests at Imphal’s Paona Bazaar.