BENGALURU: In a rare instance, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) on Wednesday (October 6) suspended the cashier employed at its Banashankari unit after cash of over Rs 2.94 lakh deposited towards water and sanitary bills by the public in its kiosk was reported missing. An FIR has also been registered at the Channamanna Kere police station.
The cashier Lakshmi Putra Ningappa had been posted at the Banagiri office in Banashankari just a year ago.
BWSSB Chairman N Jayaram said the incident came to light on September 28 when water bills and cash were tallied at the office. “Cash totalling Rs 2,94,060 was missing. Suspicious activity pertaining to the staffer on Sunday (holiday) was reported by eyewitnesses. We conducted an in-house inquiry and have placed the staffer under suspension as the cash in the kiosk is fully his responsibility,” he said.
The police have begun their own investigations into the matter, the Chairman added. BWSSB has 74 kiosks for bill collection across the city. The kiosks are located within the local water board offices with a separate partition so that public can operate sub-divisional offices only and public can access them 24x7 even when the offices are closed.
Another senior official said the cashier is the only person who has access to the keys of the kiosk. “Such an instance of cash going missing from the kiosk is a rare occurrence. No one has access to it. Public are allowed to drop cheques or cash after scanning the water bills here,” he said.