Mumbai, May 4: The Maharashtra State Assembly  cashier named Manoj Gaonkar accused of siphonying-off Rs 63,000 from a legislator's medical claim and misappropriating over Rs 52.3 lakh from the state government funds-collectively Rs 53 lakh in the year 2005 has been sentenced to five years of jail by Mumbai Metropolitan court on Wednesday. The accused was working at Maharashtra State Assembly Mumbai when he committed the fraud. The court has found him guilty and also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 upon him.

On Wednesday, the metropolitan magistrate A P Kulkarni while giving the orders in the case has also directed to auction all those properties of the accused Gaonkar, bought with the scam money. According to the news Report in Times Of India (TOI), the accused purchased a flat in Chikoowadi in Borivli then valued at Rs 13 lakh, a flat in Mira Road then valued at Rs 4 lakh and a farmhouse in Talegaon in Pune then valued at Rs 3 lakh.

To recall in March 2005, the pay and accounts department of Mantralaya lodged a police complaint after an audit found that Gaonkar had deposited only Rs 7,000 in the state government's account, but submitted a forged receipt showing that he had deposited Rs 70,000 and even produced a cash book.

Assistant commissioner of police Phoolsingh Pawar said. "The money belonged to MLC Anil Gote's medical entitlement, an accused in the 2005 Telgi fake stamp paper scam. After Gote's arrest in the scam, his MLC funds were to be returned to the government treasury." as quoted in TOI.

The quote further mentioned, "The RBI receipt was stamped, but during the investigation, it transpired that Gaonkar had deposited only Rs 7,000. He later added a zero to make it Rs 70,000. However, when he was caught, he agreed to return the balance Rs 63,000. But the Opposition created an uproar in the legislative assembly over the issue, and the Speaker decided to register an offence of cheating and forgery."

The case was transferred to the economic offences wing of Mumbai Police.

Also, the report stated, a departmental inquiry was initiated against Gaonkar, during the same period and it was found that he had misappropriated another Rs 52.3 lakh, including Rs 10 lakh from the Rs 30 lakh amount that Parliament had given to the state government for a conference. Hence, Gaonkar was subsequently arrested in 2005, and the 3,500-page charge sheet was filed against him. The charge sheet mentioned about the several properties bought through wrong means. He was booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 408,409, 468, 471 for criminal breach of trust, forgery and for using forged papers as genuine.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 05, 2018 12:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).