Surat: The Althan police have registered a case against a residential society’s maintenance manager for allegedly misappropriating around ₹40 lakh by encashing fixed deposits and diverting maintenance funds into his personal account.

The accused, Mahesh Patel, has been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for cheating, criminal breach of trust, and forgery. Police have initiated an investigation into the matter.

According to the complaint filed by Ankit Agrawal (42), a textile trader and office-bearer of Punyabhumi Society in Althan, Patel—who was employed as the society’s maintenance manager on a monthly salary of ₹24,000—allegedly siphoned off funds over the past year. He was responsible for collecting maintenance charges and managing the society’s financial and banking transactions.

The alleged fraud came to light on March 25 when a cheque of ₹1 lakh issued by the society for flooring work was returned due to insufficient funds. A committee member alerted Agrawal, who was surprised as Patel had submitted a balance sheet in January showing a surplus of ₹38 lakh.

A detailed scrutiny of the accounts later revealed that the balance sheet was allegedly forged. Agrawal discovered that Patel had transferred ₹10 lakh from the society’s maintenance funds into his personal bank account over the past year.

Further investigation showed that Patel had encashed three fixed deposits worth ₹30 lakh. Although the funds were initially credited to the society’s account, they were subsequently transferred to other accounts, as per the complaint.

Police said further investigation is underway to trace the flow of funds and identify any additional irregularities.