HALs new audit system did him in

BANGALORE: C Rajanna, son of Chikmuniyappa, a dhobi, is a resident of Dommasandra village near Sarjapur Road here. In his mid-30s, Rajanna has worked with Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for the last 7-8 years. He was caught duping the company by fudging bank documents to allegedly siphon off more than `3 crore.However, sources said he lead a simple life and no one suspected any foul play.Rajanna operated through Kaviraj Enterprises, a travel firm owned by him and managed by his friend Nagesh.“We suspect some transactions might have been made in Nagesh’s  name. He might have had everyone believe that his assets increased through his travel agency. There could be more persons involved,” police said.Police have so far seized a new van, a brand new Scorpio and a new i10 car from the accused. “We have also seized documents of two plots, each around 6,000 sq feet near Sarjapur Road. The investigation will go on for another three to four months. Right now, they are in judicial custody,” police said.“Every time after Rajanna came from the bank, he never submitted the acknowledgment slip, nor did Aerospace division officials ask for it. This is something very strange. Had they checked the acknowledgment(s) periodically, this fraud could have been detected long time back,” police said.HAL, on its part, has launched an internal probe. A senior official said new audit systems in HAL helped nab Rajanna. Sources said action has been taken against some Aerospace Division staff from accounts section. An audit by an independent agency is on to ascertain the extent of loss to HAL. “We will have to probe back into many years to ascertain the loss,” sources said.HAL chairman R K Tyagi could not be contacted. Dr P S Harsha, DCP, South-EastDivision, told Express: “Probe is on and we will be filing a chargesheet in due course.”