Lucknow: A major embezzlement case involving ₹42.32 lakh has surfaced in a private company engaged in electricity bill collection for the state power corporation. A case has been registered at Krishnanagar police station against the company’s zonal manager and two cash collection agents for allegedly siphoning off consumer payments instead of depositing them into the company’s authorised account.
According to the complaint, the accused collected electricity bill payments from consumers but failed to transfer the amount within the stipulated time. Instead, they allegedly misappropriated the funds and attempted to manipulate records to conceal the irregularities.
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Anurag Gupta, a resident of LDA Colony on Kanpur Road and director of Saral E-Commerce Private Limited, submitted a written complaint stating that his company holds a one-year contract with Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL). Under the agreement, company employees are deployed at various power substations across the state to collect electricity bills from consumers. The collected cash is required to be deposited into the company’s designated account within a fixed timeline, supported by proper digital entries.
As per the complaint, Shivam Srivastava was appointed as the zonal manager for Varanasi and Jaunpur regions, while Sushil Kumar Yadav and Prince Verma were designated as cash collection agents. The three allegedly acted in collusion and withheld a significant portion of the collected revenue instead of depositing it with the company.
The irregularity came to light when the amount collected from the concerned region did not reflect in the company’s account on November 1. When contacted by the Lucknow head office, Sushil Yadav reportedly claimed that the money was kept safely at his residence and assured that it would be deposited the following day. However, despite repeated reminders, the deposit was delayed for several days, raising suspicion within the management.
Subsequently, an internal inquiry team was dispatched to Varanasi. During questioning, the accused reportedly attempted to shift blame onto alleged discrepancies in company records, terming the issue a technical error. However, a detailed verification of account statements, receipt books and ID logs revealed substantial discrepancies. Preliminary findings indicated a shortfall of approximately ₹42.32 lakh.
Further scrutiny uncovered that an ID assigned to the Jaunpur region had been unlawfully used in Varanasi to divert an additional ₹4,86,998. This amount too was not deposited through official channels. The discrepancy was confirmed after examining transaction records and digital log data.
Police have registered a case against Shivam Srivastava, Sushil Kumar Yadav and Prince Verma under charges related to criminal breach of trust and fraud. Investigators are currently collecting financial documents, digital transaction data and bank statements to trace the complete flow of funds. Authorities are also examining whether similar irregularities occurred in other operational areas.
Sources indicate that collection agents are required to deposit daily cash receipts within a specified timeframe and record each transaction digitally. The misuse of official IDs and withholding of collected funds have raised concerns regarding monitoring and internal control mechanisms. The company management has indicated that its audit processes will be further tightened to prevent recurrence.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the diverted money may have been used for personal expenses. However, efforts are underway to recover the full amount and identify any additional individuals who may have been involved.
The ₹42 lakh embezzlement has brought the transparency and oversight of outsourced electricity bill collection under scrutiny. Further developments are expected as the investigation progresses.
