Bhubaneswar, Oct. 18: The Khandagiri police today arrested a senior assistant of the Odisha Livestock Resources Development Society (OLRDS) for allegedly withdrawing Rs 78 lakh from the society’s funds by forging the signature of the chief executive officer.

The accused, Janaki Ballav Sahu, 45, had purchased three four-wheelers with Rs 23 lakh besides depositing cash worth Rs 38 lakh in a bank account in his wife’s name.

The police are trying to gather information about the whereabouts of the rest of the money, which he claims to have given to some people.

Sahu’s colleagues were surprised after they came to know about his fraudulent activities yesterday.

He had been forging the signatures of CEO Sanat Mishra for the last four months and withdrawing money from two bank accounts of the society.

Sahu was working as a senior assistant-cum-accountant in the office of the OLRDS under the fisheries and animal resources development department of the state government. He was given responsibility of cash transactions after he joined the society in May last year.

Second officer of OLRDS, Chitta Ranjan Mallick, said the matter came to their notice as Sahu had forgotten to collect a Rs 500-note from the Cuttack-based bank after his last transaction on October 15.

The bank officials handed the note to one of the staff members yesterday and then the matter came to their notice.

“We then checked with the bank and another bank near Ram Mandir in Bhubaneswar and found that Sahu had withdrawn cash worth Rs 78 lakh over six transactions by forging the CEO’s signature. He started his fraudulent activities in July,” said Mallick.

He said that they also came to know that Sahu had purchased three four-wheelers in his wife’s name by using the CEO’s signatures.

The CEO then lodged a complaint with the Khandagiri police last evening following which the police registered a case under Sections 420 (cheating), 408 (criminal breach of trust by a servant), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 470 (forged document) and 471 (using forged document as genuine) of the Indian Penal Code.

Sahu was arrested from his residence at Phulnakhara on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. Police seized an Innova, an Indica Vista and an Indigo CS from the accused.

These vehicles had been purchased recently and did not have any registration numbers.

“We have seized the bank account in which he had deposited part of the cash. We are questioning him to find out about the rest of the money, which he claims to have given to some people. As he is not divulging much, we will remand him in custody,” said assistant commissioner of police Jagannath Pradhan.