UP: Collection agent, accomplice held for embezzling Rs 23.78 lakh

A collection agent of a construction materials store owner in Loha Mandi in Ghaziabad was arrested on Saturday for allegedly embezzling Rs 23.78 lakh collected from a group of traders in Meerut, police said.

The accused collection agent Dinesh did not return to the shop on August 13 and his phone was switched off later that day, they said.

Later, Dinesh is said to have cooked up a story of him being kidnapped with his wife lodging a missing complaint at Vijay Nagar police station.

Ghaziabad Senior Superintendent of Police Kalanidhi Naithani told PTI that trader Vikas Jain also lodged an FIR in which he told the police that Dinesh had not returned with his collection on August 13.

Working on both the complaints, police arrested Dinesh and his brother-in-law Pappu in Aligarh on Friday.

Dinesh confessed that he had misappropriated the money because he had a high debt and was under pressure to repay the dues that he had lent from some money lenders. The money was kept at Pappu's house in Sunamai village of Aligarh district, the SSP said.

Police have recovered Rs 23.54 lakh of the collection amount from there while Dinesh admitted that the rest of the Rs 24,000 were spent by him. 

READ | 13-year-old Girl Rescued From Child Marriage In J-K's Udhampur, Parents Among 6 Held

READ | 5 Held For Procuring SIM Cards On Fake IDs, Selling It Sham Call Centres, Spammers