Trusted accountant gone with Ludhiana jeweller’s gold, cash.

Ludhiana: A trusted accountant and caretaker of a prominent College Road jewellery shop is on the run after allegedly embezzling a heavy amount of gold and cash through a sophisticated system of fraudulent bookkeeping.The suspect, identified as Ram Shankar, has been charged with criminal breach of trust and theft after his employer discovered massive discrepancies in the shop's inventory and financial records. Vikram Jain, owner of the jewellery establishment near Fountain Chowk, told police that Shankar had been a fixture of the business for four years. Entrusted with the dual roles of accountant and stock manager, Shankar was responsible for the oversight of all gold purchases, sales, and the physical inventory of the vault.The scheme reportedly began to unravel last week when Jain noticed irregularities in the stock levels. When confronted on Thursday, Shankar reportedly promised to provide a full reconciliation the following morning. He never returned to work.The Digital Paper TrailUpon Shankar's disappearance, Jain conducted a comprehensive audit of the shop's computer systems. The review allegedly revealed a pattern of "ghost" transactions. "The accused showed fake sales of gold as cash payments in the system," Jain told investigators. "He used these fraudulent entries to justify the removal of physical gold stock, which he then pocketed."Police believe Shankar utilised his deep knowledge of the stop's accounting software to mask the theft for a significant period before the physical volume of missing gold became too large to hide.The Manhunt BeginsInspector Amritpal Sharma, head of the Division Number 8 police station, confirmed that a formal case has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). "We have booked the accused under charges of theft by a clerk or servant and criminal breach of trust," inspector Sharma said. "He is currently on the run, and tracking teams have been deployed to locate him."Shankar, originally from the Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh, is believed to have fled the local area. Authorities are currently reviewing surveillance footage and digital logs as part of the ongoing investigation. MSID:: 127390093 413 |