Surat: An employee of an automobile showroom in Surat has been booked for allegedly siphoning off Rs 27.28 lakh by manipulating customer payment records and diverting money collected through vehicle transactions, according to a police complaint.The case was registered at Sachin police station on Oct 27, following a complaint by Prakash Rayka, a representative of Katariya Automobiles, which sells Maruti commercial vehicles through its showroom in Sachin. The alleged fraud took place between January and June this year.The accused, Ankush Goyal (36), worked as the manager of the company’s showroom on Sachin-Palsana Road. According to the complaint, Goyal allegedly manipulated customer payment details and generated fake payment records using mobile phones and computer systems. He allegedly altered customers’ mobile numbers and created fraudulent payment orders to divert money collected from them instead of depositing the entire amount into the company’s account.The complaint states that the alleged irregularities involved down payments made by 42 customers. Goyal would collect the down payment and arrange for the vehicle to be delivered after the customer’s loan was sanctioned. While the loan amount was deposited into the company’s account, he allegedly withheld the down payments and used the money for personal purposes.The total loss to the company has been estimated at Rs 27.28 lakh.
