JAMMU : One Junior Assistant namely Manju Sharma besides unknown officials posted in the Regional Transport Office, Jammu have been booked by Jammu and Kashmir Anti Corruption Bureau in a case FIR No. 09/2024 registered at Police Station ACB Jammu under section 13(1)(a) r/w 13 (2) PC Act, 1988 & section 120-B, 409 of IPC on the outcome of a preliminary verification conducted into the allegations of irregularities committed by officials of Motor Vehicle Department in Regional Transport Office Jammu pertaining to misappropriation of passenger tax collection.
The PI was initiated by ACB, Jammu pursuant to receipt of communication dated 06-03-2023 from General Administration Department.
During verification and scrutiny of records it came to fore that Manju Sharma, Jr. Assistant was deputed in accounts section of RTO, Jammu to collect passenger tax from owners of passenger commercial vehicles during the period in question.
While collecting the passenger tax dues, she acted dishonestly and resorted to randomly conceal the actual amount of passenger tax received from vehicle owners/operators by way of reflecting only meager part of amount in official record than amount which she collected on account of passenger tax. The only amount of passenger tax as reflected in counterfoil of Government Receipts (GRs) was deposited in government treasury whereas rest of the amount collected stands misappropriated by her.
Furthermore, the Manual Cash Book/Day Book and vehicle-wise details pertaining to collection and deposition of Passenger Tax dues during the period has not been properly maintained which paved way to embezzle/misappropriate Passenger Tax dues.
Further during the course of verification, it surfaced that an amount of more than 10 lakhs has been misappropriated in view of random cross checking of some copies of GRs and Owner’s copies of GRs. The same may increase further in respect of other passenger commercial vehicles of Jammu, if detected during investigation. The role of the officers/officials of RTO office Jammu, in abetting and facilitating such misappropriation of passenger tax amount during that period cannot be ruled out. By acting in this manner, Manju Sharma, then Jr. Assistant in lieu of criminal conspiracy with other employees of RTO office Jammu, dishonestly and fraudulently misappropriated huge amount of passenger tax so collected from various owners/operators during that period.