Financial fraud: KSRTC sacks five conductors

Five empanelled conductors were sacked from service and four others were disengaged from duties at the KSRTC depot at Sulthan Bathery  after they were found swindling collection money by manipulating Electronic Ticketing Machines (ETMs).


Shajahan, a senior clerk of the depot and the kingpin of the racket, has been placed under suspension. KSRTC chairman and managing director K G Mohanlal has issued orders to this effect on Friday evening.


The racket came to light the other day after higher officials detected that the collection from select schedules varied abnormally when some conductors were on duty. The senior clerk, who was adept in manipulating the ETMs, enlisted the services of the conductors, sources said.


The senior clerk, hailing from Kollam district, was so clever with a modus operandi that none of the conductors in his ring knew the racket in between them. Accounts were manipulated within the ETMs itself and often, an excuse of printer fault is given while handing over the machine at the end of a day’s duty. The senior clerk alone took care of the end game. According to reliable information, at least one third of the daily collection of each of the conductors were siphoned off in this manner.  Mohanlal told ‘Express’ that the financial liability caused by the action of the fraudsters was being calculated. The Corporation is also keen to initiate criminal cases against them on the basis of the liability. It is suspected that the detected fraud is only a tip of the iceberg, since similar acts could not be ruled out in other depots also.