A year passed. I was busy with routine work. One day, Suyash (from the accounts department) asked me about few consignments, for which, one client was not at all giving any response for payment and the due date was already over.
He further said, "From Head office, there is inquiry coming up for payments. But Rao sir is not clarifying the matter with clients."
I told him to wait for few more days.
Again after few weeks, he said, “ See, I asked about the said consignments of clients to Rao sir. But he is now telling us that these consignments are not normal. They were sample batches for a specific trial. The payment will be done by clients but it may take few more days. What do you know about this sample consignment.”
I told him, "I am completely unaware of any such requirement from clients.”
Now, both of us were having doubts in mind. But we were not sure. So, he started asking Rao sir more frequently about payments from clients. So finally once he gave one mobile no. and asked him to verify from client person named Hitesh directly. He even called himself and fixed one meeting with Hitesh but not in place of the client. The meeting was in a restaurant as Hitesh was busy. After the meeting, more than one month was passed but still, no reply was coming from Hitesh.
Now, both of us started searching Hitesh without Rao sir’s knowledge. And our findings were shocking. We found out that there was nobody named Hitesh at the client’s office. For assurance, we checked their all office server data through the email server as everyone working had email id necessarily, through one contact. But we found that there is none named Hitesh in the company throughout the world. Now, our doubt was taking shape of assurance about some fraud. Hitesh’s mobile was sounding off. Suyash informed the Head office. But considering Rao sir’s rapport they completely ignored and told, “Don’t worry. Rao will get it done by the client. I am sure.”
Rao sir was at head office for training on the future management group meeting. Looking at the situation, Suyash told senior management to at least clarify from him when payments would be done by the client. After two days, Rao sir told that he has resigned from the company and that would be his last one month as he got a better opportunity.
Now, management had told him that he would be needed to clear payments of the said consignment. We had got all this information from colleagues at head office. Now, Suyash and I decided to keep watch on Rao sir and his very close person from the warehouse named Madhav.
We suspected that if he has to clear the invoices, either client should give any confirmation of receipt of material for follow up or Rao sir would try to clear by exchanging these pending invoices with regular consignment. We asked our personnel to keep watch at the client, to verify all our incoming invoices, and to note down the complete details.
As per our guess, everything happened. Madhav prepared the same invoice quantity dispatch plan and dispatched also. Madhav came to me and told me, “Rao sir has asked him to visit a client for some work.”
When asked about which work, he refused and told, “Ask Rao, sir, only. I need to go urgent.” And he left.
We already had our person there at the gate of the client. When the consignment reached, Madhav approached the driver and told, “Hey wait! Rao sir has sent me. Our office has made a mistake and gave you the wrong invoices. Give me those invoices, I will exchange them with the correct one.”
By the time he was exchanging the invoices, our person approached him and queried why he exchanged the invoices. He would call the police. Looking at the situation out of control, he threw invoices there and ran away. Now the matter was very much clear. And to our fortune, one more piece of evidence that helped was the mobile recording of the driver.
Later I got to know, Suyash had informed him to record whatever happens. Now we had very strong proof that fraud has happened and Rao sir is involved.
We informed immediately to head office. But still, management had hopes that he was innocent and we were blaming him unnecessarily due to some rivalry. Later we understood that this was told by Rao sir because he was in Head office at that time.
But, we decided to take up this matter in writing and we sent an email to Head office with a complaint.
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