Former accounts officer accused of diverting ₹2 crore from India's Permanent Mission in Geneva for gambling

A former accounts officer at India's Permanent Mission in Geneva is under investigation for allegedly diverting over 200,000 Swiss francs (around ₹2 crore).

The Central Bureau of Investigation has begun an inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of over 200,000 Swiss francs, estimated at around ₹2 crore, from India’s Permanent Mission in Geneva. The suspected fraud is believed to have been carried out by a former accounts officer posted at the mission, who allegedly diverted the money to fund his crypto-based gambling activities.

The CBI has launched inquiries into the fraudulent activity, revealing a complex scheme involving manipulated QR codes and bank statements.(HT photo)

The accused, identified as Mohit, was posted to the Geneva mission in December 2024 as an assistant section officer, said a report by news agency PTI. As part of his official duties, he was tasked with physically delivering payment instructions to Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS), where the mission maintains accounts in both US dollars and Swiss francs. Officials said discrepancies were later detected specifically in the Swiss franc account.

Payments from the mission to local vendors were processed using invoices embedded with QR codes containing bank and billing details. These QR codes, along with signed payment instruction slips authorised by senior officials, were routinely submitted to the bank, the PTI report stated. It was common for several invoices to be bundled under a single payment instruction, a process Mohit was responsible for executing.

Investigators suspected that he exploited this system by discreetly swapping legitimate vendor QR codes with QR codes linked to his own Swiss franc account at UBS. Through this method, payments meant for vendors were allegedly redirected into his personal account, without altering the accompanying acknowledgement slips, the report said.

To avoid detection, Mohit is believed to have manipulated monthly bank statements by replacing his own name with that of the vendors. These altered statements were used during routine account reconciliations, allowing the fraud to continue unnoticed for several months.

The irregularities came to light when auditors flagged duplicate payments made to a local firm, Ejey Travels. A detailed review pointed to a loss of about CHF 200,000. Officials said Mohit later admitted in writing to diverting the funds for crypto-gambling and was subsequently sent back to India with his family, the report further stated.

The CBI has registered a case against him under charges including criminal breach of trust, forgery, falsification of records and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

(With inputs from PTI)