Nagpur: After the expose of massive ticketing money scam by conductors of Aapli Bus, the top bosses of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) have been found “busy” in cover-up rather than punishing the ‘masterminds.’
Even though 35 conductors have been suspended in connection with the Rs 12-14 lakh scam, the company manning them – DIMTS – and the Transport Department head are escaping the punitive action. Almost all the conductors are recruited by Unity Security Force and Security and Intelligence Services (SIS) but the DIMTS (Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd) monitors the cash collection. According to sources, this massive fraud just cannot take place without the help of an insider of DIMTS. The head of NMC’s Transport Department can also not shrug off his responsibility.
It is pertinent to recall that the NMC’s Transport Department has suspended 35 conductors for alleged misappropriation of Rs 14 lakh in Cash Card scam. The regular commuters procure Cash Cards for daily travel. The commuters were required to swap these cards while travelling and conductors used to provide them with a ticket after swapping card on the ticket vending machine. The ticket was expected to mention the balance amount of the cash card. However, during surprise visit, the vigilance team of Transport Department found a ticket, swiped from the ticket vending machine, without any mention about balance amount. They smelled foul play and after detailed probe,the scam got exposed probably in the month of June 2017. Conductors adopted a unique modus operandi to swindle ticket money. Conductors had with them 63 cash cards issued in the name of passengers. They used to get the cash cards recharged at a dummy machine available with DIMTS office. Then, they used to issue these cash card tickets to passengers who paid then in cash.
According to sources, around 64 more conductors or other personnel are in the list of suspects who may have been involved in the ticketing money fraud.
Meanwhile, Sitabuldi police have started investigations against 35 city bus conductors for siphoning ticket money using 63 passenger cash cards. NMC’s Transport Department too has started verifying the data of all 5,800 cash cards issued to passengers. Sources inform that around Rs 6 lakh have been recovered from the suspended conductors through DIMTS and Unity Security Force.
Lists of bus conductors suspended and the ‘suspects’
