BANGALORE: An education department clerk managed to hoodwink his bosses so well that he created three government primary school teachers on paper and drew their salaries and allowances for two years. He eventually cheated the government of Rs 63 lakh.

DV Manjunath, a 40-year-old clerk with the department of public instruction, Ramanagaram, has been absconding since the second week of September.

The jurisdictional Ijur police recovered bank challans and salary slips adding up to Rs 42,43,360 and suspect that Manjunath, a native of Chitradurga, has cheated the government of another Rs 20 lakh.

Manjunath was appointed a clerk in 2012 and allegedly added the names of three teachers, including a woman, who never existed in the salary and special allowance list.

"He created teachers named Dhananjaya, Chickka Hombalaiah and Sudha and drew their salaries and special allowances from 2012 to May 2014," Ijur police said.

The con came to light when Manjunath entered Rs 39,000 as special allowance against Sudha, whom the records said was a teacher in the government school, Shanubhoganahalli.

Deputy Director for Department of Public Instruction Prahllad Gowda told TOI they became suspicious on seeing the quantum of special allowance. "No one gets such a high amount as special allowance. On checking salary details, the fraud came to light. Knowing that we'd spotted the fraud, Manjunath, a resident of Ramanagaram town, fled," he said.

According to education department sources, the money misused may increase. "Till now, the accounts show misappropriation to the tune of Rs 43 lakh. The amount may increase after a final audit is done," they added.

TOI

Clerk earns Rs 63 lakh in two years by drewing Teachers salaries and allowances