T’puram: Peroorkada Police booked a police recruit for allegedly collecting Rs.7.18 lakh from fellow trainees for uniform materials and stitching charges and subsequently losing the money in online betting.The accused is Sambhu R Krishnan, attached to KAP-3, Pathanamthitta. The case was registered on the complaint of Mujeeb Rahman, 55, officer commanding of B company, SAP Battalion, Peroorkada.The police said Krishnan was a member of a seven-member uniform panel and allegedly told recruit trainees that money for uniform materials and stitching could be deposited with the SAP dry canteen and Wilson Allied Police Uniform Society.Between July 3 and July 13, several trainees allegedly transferred money to bank accounts linked to Krishnan. Recruits from different batches made the payment, with individual transactions ranging from Rs 2,200 and Rs 4,435 to larger amounts, including Rs 33,000, Rs 44,000, Rs.48,785, Rs 53,220 and Rs 60,000.The police said the total amount collected from the trainees was Rs 7,18,320, which was transferred to a phone number allegedly used by the accused. The money was meant to be paid to the SAP canteen for uniform materials and to the uniform society for stitching.However, instead of using the money for the stated purpose, Krishnan allegedly spent it on online betting games and suffered losses, said police. The trainees were consequently left with a financial loss.The transactions involved accounts held with several banks, including SBI, Federal Bank, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and other banks.The police are examining the transactions and the alleged diversion of money collected for uniform-related expenses.Peroorkada police have registered the case under Section 318(4) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which relates to cheating involving dishonest or fraudulent inducement.
