A senior woman police officer in Kerala has been suspended and booked for allegedly embezzling over ₹16.76 lakh from motor vehicle fine collections at the Muvattupuzha traffic unit between 2018 and 2022.
The accused, Senior Civil Police Officer (SCPO) Shanti Krishnan, was working as an assistant station writer during the period. An FIR registered on July 21 charges her with forgery, criminal breach of trust, cheating, and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
According to a senior district officer, Krishnan manipulated entries in the station’s cash book and fine receipts, altering the recorded amounts and pocketing the surplus. “It was her duty to record the fines collected and deposit them in the police account. Instead, she underreported collections and siphoned off the remaining amount,” the officer explained.
The fraud came to light during routine internal audits, which revealed inconsistencies between the actual collections and the recorded figures. Further scrutiny confirmed the embezzlement, prompting criminal action.
Krishnan has since been suspended from service and will face both a departmental inquiry and disciplinary action, in addition to criminal prosecution.
The case highlights the importance of transparent financial practices within enforcement agencies and the need for regular oversight to detect and deter internal fraud.