Rs 23 lakh siphoned off from civic body accounts

Kolkata: Criminals have withdrawn Rs 23 lakhs from the accounts of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) by cloning cheques and signatures of civic body authorities.

The civic body authorities have lodged an FIR at the New Market police station, Mayor Firhad Hakim said on Tuesday.

Hakim said the moment it was brought to the notice of the municipal corporation, police and bank authorities were informed.

The bank stopped the payment for all the cheques issued by the civic body.

As the cheques and signatures of the civic body authorities have been cloned, the civic body will change the authorised signatories.

Hakim has requested those, who received cheques issued by KMC, to bring them to the civic body authorities. The municipal corporation will issue fresh cheques, he said.

He said the nationalised bank authorities have assured the civic body authorities that they would reimburse the money.

"The whole process will take some days to complete," Hakim said. Mpost