Case taken up against three officials of Tulihal airport for lapses in safekeeping
CBI Court convicts bank clerk on swindling charge
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 15 2013: A CBI Special Judge has convicted a clerk of UBI Jiri Branch for swindling Rs 19.22 lakhs even as the investigating agency has registered a case against three top officials of Tulihal Airport for not keeping goods left behind by passengers properly including Rs 4.99 lakhs in cash and using the same goods as their own.

A CBI Special Judge has convicted a clerk of UBI, Jiribam branch for withdrawing Rs 19.22 lakhs after manipulating two bank accounts between December 1998 and January 2001 .

CBI was investigating the case after it was reported that Deputy Manager LT Haokip and Clerk Rajen Sharma had withdrawn Rs 25.58 lakhs from the bank.

However, Deputy Manager LT Haokip expired before the enquiry could be completed.

A charge-sheet of the case was framed on July 30, 2004 before the CBI Special Judge issued a ruling on January 31 last.

The Judge gave the judgement of conviction on January 10 this year, informed a reliable source.

The Judge sentenced Rajen Sharma to prison for three years and slapped a fine of Rs 53,000.In case the convict cannot pay the fine, his prison term would be extended by three months.

In the course of the investigation, CBI collected statements from 39 witnesses, said the source.

Meanwhile a highly placed informed The Sangai Express that it is the general norm in all airports to keep the goods left behind by passengers in safe stores and return them to their owners as and when they come back to claim their belongings.

But what happened in Tulihal Airport is totally contrary to this general norm.

On March 26, 2011, a passenger left Rs 4.99 lakh at the airport due to an over sight.

The money was found by a CISF personnel and it was handed over to the relevant authority of the airport for safe-keeping.

But the money disappeared without any record in the Loss and Found register of the airport.

In case the owner of the money did not come back to claim it, the same money should be sent back to Kolkata Airport in the form of cheque.

But it was not done.

During the last three/four years, a total of 97 items including mobile phones, purses, laptops etc were left behind by passengers at Imphal airport.

All these items were discovered by CISF personnel and handed over to the airport authority.

On the charge of not keeping the goods left behind by passengers including cash and using the same goods as their own, CBI Imphal has registered a case against former Assistant General Manager of Tulihal Airport GN Mohanty who has now been transferred to Mumbai airport, former Terminal Manager W Santosh who has been transferred to Kolkata airport and former Assistant Terminal Manager Haobam Ajitkumar who has also been transferred to Khujaraho, Madhya Pradesh.

During the course of investigation, CBI found records of all the goods found by CISF personnel with them but no proper record was found with the airport authority.

A second case has also been registered for sending used chairs of the airport to homes of some officials outside the State after they were replaced by new ones in July last year.

Former Assistant General Manager GN Mohanty sent nine sets of chairs to his home at Kolkata by flight.

As none came to claim the chairs at Kolkata airport, they were sent back to Imphal.

In another similar case, an enquiry is going against LDC LC Thuangi posted in DRDA Churachandpur for allegedly swindling Rs 2.81 lakhs from the DRDA account in 1995 .

The State Vigilance Commissioner has already recommended the Revenue to recover the swindled amount from the accused.

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