EOW probes financial irregularities in CR Park’s Kali Mandir Society
NEW DELHI: The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police has started a new probe into financial irregularities reported in Kali Mandir Society (KMS) in South East Delhi's Chittaranjan Park area. The police have booked former members of the KMS and their alleged role in the case is being probed.
The case was registered on the complaint of Ashitava Bhowmik, current president of the society. The complainant said he had come across gross financial irregularities, theft of gold and donations, misappropriation and deflection of society's fund, forgery of the valuable documents for cheating and illegal gain over the last few years. An internal investigation committee was formed to make a thorough inquiry in the matter at the time.
Police said the present management committee recently came across a valuation certificate from 2013 issued by one jeweller in CR Park in which it was mentioned that 26 packets of annual donations containing ornaments and 16 gold ingots were melted. When the committee questioned the owner of the jewellery shop, he disclosed that he had neither melted the ornaments, nor was it done at his shop.
“The jewellery shop owner also told the committee that the valuation certificate was not even prepared by him. But, the gold bar weighing about 1.400 kg was produced before him by the then secretary Santi Majumdar along with four other members on which he simply put his signature after verifying the weight and purity of the gold bar brought to him,” said police.
When the management committee sought an explanation from five people, including the then secretary regarding the circumstances under which gold and ingots were taken out from the lockers, no explanation was given by them regarding the issue. The management committee also came across the fact that the valuation certificate was issued on May 22, 2013, but bank records show that the lockers were not operated between March and November of the same year.
“The said valuation certificate was also not incorporated in the Annual report and balance sheet of the society during the year 2013 to 2017. Besides, one red coloured register kept inside the bank locker, in which all deposits of ornaments were reportedly noted was missing and it was untraceable,” police said. Further investigation also revealed that one more register in which records related to gold donations was missing and around 40 to 50 kgs of silver donated to the temple by devotees were also missing. It was also found that dubious payments were made.
The Kali Mandir has established itself as one of the prominent religious and cultural centres in Delhi, because of its popularity during all kinds of festivals.