CBI probes Rs 2-cr fraud at India’s Geneva mission; accounts officer booked

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has reportedly launched a probe into the alleged swindling of more than 2 lakh Swiss francs (around Rs 2 crore) from India’s Permanent Mission in Geneva by a former accounts officer who is accused of diverting the funds to finance crypto-gambling activities.

The accused, Mohit, joined the Mission on December 17, 2024, as an assistant section officer and was tasked with physically submitting payment instructions to the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS), where the Mission maintains accounts in US dollars and Swiss francs.

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The irregularity was detected in the Mission’s Swiss franc account, says a PTI report. Payments to Swiss vendors were made based on invoices carrying pre-printed QR codes embedded with bank and invoice details. These QR codes, along with payment instruction slips signed by the Attache (Admin and Establishment) and the Drawing and Disbursing Officer, were physically submitted to UBS.

QR code manipulation exposed

As part of standard practice, multiple QR codes were often grouped under a single payment instruction slip. Mohit was responsible for carrying these documents to the bank and also had account viewing rights, along with the Head of Chancery.

Investigators suspect that Mohit replaced some vendor QR codes with self-generated ones, redirecting payments to his personal UBS account instead of the intended vendors. Using this method, he allegedly siphoned off more than CHF 200,000 this year.

To avoid detection, Mohit is accused of editing monthly bank statements, replacing his own name with that of legitimate vendors. These doctored statements were then used during routine reconciliations, allowing the fraud to remain undetected for months.

The scam came to light when auditors noticed duplicate payments to a local vendor, Ejey Travels, leading to a detailed transaction review. The analysis revealed a suspected loss of about CHF 200,000.

Funds diverted to crypto gambling

When confronted, Mohit submitted a written confession, admitting that the funds were diverted to bankroll crypto-gambling ventures. He was immediately repatriated to India along with his family.

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Officials said Mohit deposited some amounts back into the Mission’s account before his return, including payments claimed to have been made to Ejey Travels, which were reflected in the account records.

The CBI has booked him under charges of criminal breach of trust, forgery, falsification of accounts, and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

CBI flags rising digital fraud

The agency said the case is part of a broader trend involving government officials allegedly embezzling public funds to finance online trading, gaming and crypto-related activities. Earlier this year, the CBI arrested a senior Airports Authority of India official for allegedly siphoning over Rs 232 crore, and also booked a Bank of India officer accused of diverting more than Rs 16 crore into online trading and crypto dealings.

(With agency inputs)