PANAJI
In what appears to be yet another financial irregularity within Goa Police, an internal audit has uncovered brazen misappropriation of nearly Rs 15 lakh in traffic violation fines -- vanishing straight from the coffers of Bicholim police station.
The misdeed, exposing glaring lapses in financial accountability, has reportedly led to the cop's suspension pending inquiry and also prompted the department to go into damage control mode with an urgent audit ordered across all the police stations -- whether or not suspected of similar malpractice.
Reliable police sources revealed to The Goan that a lady police personnel who, despite coming under suspicion, evaded accountability and managed to get a transfer to the Colvale Escort Cell.
Sources said that a casual audit revealed the glaring mismatch between official bank deposit receipts and internal records with the Traffic police.
In one instance, a cash deposit slip submitted to the SP Traffic Headquarters showed a deposit of Rs 82,000, while an identical copy from the police station itself recorded a significantly higher amount of Rs 2.82 lakh. This inconsistency raised red flags about the probable systematic fraud, prompting an inquiry.
Sources further revealed to The Goan that the total alleged misappropriated amount for 2024 alone could go higher up to Rs 17 lakh.
As per the protocol, the motor vehicle challans collected in cash are supposed to be handed over to the ‘dealing hand’ of the police station, who is responsible for tallying the amount and ensuring proper bank deposits from time to time. “In this case, the lady personnel was the ‘dealing hand,’ and the funds mysteriously disappeared,” the source said adding, “we have now expanded our probe to examine records from previous years at Bicholim PS. Moreover, other police stations are also being audited for motor vehicle challans where fines are handled in cash.”
The Traffic Cell collaborates with police stations to manage violations such as drunken driving, over-speeding and helmetless riding among other motor vehicle offenses. All fines are either deposited in banks or recorded through digital transactions.
With this fresh embarrassment, the Goa Police are likely to transition entirely to cashless challan payments for traffic fines starting the new financial year – a bid to thwart financial mismanagement and ensure greater oversight.
