A major payroll fraud allegedly involving the misappropriation of more than ₹5.78 crore has come to light at a multinational company in Thane, prompting the registration of a criminal case against its former Senior Payroll Manager, Sandeep Ambare. The case surfaced following an internal audit that reportedly uncovered large-scale financial irregularities in the company’s payroll and employee settlement process.
According to the complaint filed by the company’s Senior Director (Human Resources), Janine Adrienne Fernandez, the alleged fraud took place between 2021 and 2025. Investigators claim that the accused diverted company funds into two personal accounts maintained with Standard Chartered Bank by manipulating payments related to full-and-final settlements of employees who had already left the organisation.
The internal investigation reportedly detected total financial irregularities amounting to approximately ₹7.91 crore. Company officials stated that nearly ₹2.13 crore was subsequently recovered or returned during the internal review process. However, an amount of around ₹5.78 crore remains unrecovered, following which the company approached the police and lodged a formal complaint.
Preliminary findings suggest that the accused allegedly created fake payroll and salary vouchers to facilitate unauthorized fund transfers. Investigators believe the forged payroll records were used to disguise the transactions as legitimate employee settlement payments, allowing the money to be routed into personal bank accounts without immediate detection.
Police officials said the case highlights the risks posed by insider financial fraud within corporate payroll systems. Investigators are now examining payroll databases, banking transactions, financial records, approval workflows, and digital audit trails to determine how the alleged manipulation continued for several years without being detected.
Authorities are also scrutinising whether weaknesses in internal financial controls or supervisory mechanisms enabled the suspected fraud. The role of any other employees or external individuals who may have knowingly or unknowingly assisted in the alleged diversion of funds is also under examination.
Investigators are expected to conduct forensic analysis of digital records, including payroll software logs, electronic approvals, emails, and banking data, to reconstruct the complete flow of funds and identify the exact methodology allegedly used to execute the fraud.
Corporate fraud investigators note that payroll systems are increasingly becoming targets for financial crimes because they involve high-volume automated transactions. Manipulation of employee settlement processes, ghost payments, forged payroll records, and unauthorized account changes are among the methods commonly exploited in insider financial fraud cases.
Police have registered a case against former Senior Payroll Manager Sandeep Ambare on charges related to alleged cheating, criminal breach of trust, and financial misappropriation. The investigation is continuing to establish the complete extent of the financial loss and determine whether additional offences or conspirators are involved.
Officials stated that banking records, digital evidence, and internal company documents remain under detailed examination. Further legal action will depend on the findings of the ongoing investigation, and authorities have not ruled out additional arrests or charges if evidence establishes the involvement of other individuals in the alleged payroll fraud.
