Duo steals cheque from dropbox, doctors it to siphon off `9.9L

Malad Police have booked two persons for stealing a cheque for Rs 5,000 from the dropbox of a bank and forging it to withdraw Rs 9.87 lakh from the account. Police said the complainant had used the dropbox service last week and was shocked to learn about his cheque being encashed at another bank. While the culprits have been caught on camera, they are yet to be traced and arrested.

According to police, the complainant, Bhavin Rambhiya, had deposited a cheque of Rs 5,000 in the dropbox of the Malad branch of the Bank of Maharashtra, near SV Road, last week. Since the name and amount was printed on the cheque, police are trying to determine how the accused managed to tamper with it and replace the name with ‘Sai Enterprises’, into whose account the money was deposited. Requesting anonymity, a police officer said, the amount was deposited in favour of Sai Enterprises at the Mulund branch of the IDFC Bank. Police have now asked the bank to provide the name and address of the accountholder.

“The accused managed to replace the name and amount printed on the cheque, while retaining the signature, to withdraw Rs 9.87 lakh. Rambhiya was shocked to learn about the massive withdrawal and made enquiries at the bank, after which he approached us,” said a senior police officer from Malad police station. Police scrutinised the CCTV camera footage of the Malad branch of the Bank of Maharashtra, which showed two men stealing the cheque, using wires for the job. Police are yet to ascertain if they stole other cheques as well. Photographs of the accused have been circulated at police stations across the city and the duo has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.