PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The police arrested nine persons including former top officials and staff of Garhwal Motor Owners Union (GMOU) Limited, Kotdwar in Pauri district for the alleged scam of Rs 2.5 crore. The accused allegedly siphoned off large sums by showing deceased employees as alive and forging their signatures to withdraw funds. It was revealed during the investigation that financial misappropriation was conducted under a well-planned conspiracy, the Pauri senior superintendent of police Lokeshwar Singh said. He informed that a complaint was filed by the current manager secretary of GMOU, Vijay Pal Singh on March 5, 2025. He alleged financial embezzlement by nine former office-bearers and employees of the organisation. Taking serious note of the allegations, the SSP formed a dedicated police team under the supervision of additional SP Chandramohan Singh and Kotdwar Circle Officer Niharika Semwal. The SSP said, “The investigation revealed that the accused prepared fake bills and vouchers under various heads such as petrol pump buildings, computer and furniture maintenance, donations, utility bills, staff salaries and traffic arrangements. Fraudulent applications and financial documents were also created in the names of fictitious persons to facilitate unauthorised payments. It was further discovered that financial manipulation took place during the financial year 2023-2024, with an estimated misappropriation of over Rs 2.48 crore.”
Singh said that after thorough interrogation and confirmation of their involvement, all nine accused were arrested on Wednesday. The arrested accused are Jeet Singh Patwal, Usha Sajwan, Ashwani Kumar, Manjeet Saini, Ashok Kumar, Mukesh Kumar, Rajesh Chandra Budakoti, Virendra Khantwal and Rakesh Mohan Tyagi.
