2 GHMC contract workers held for drawing salaries using fake thumb imprints

Hyderabad: Two GHMC sanitary field assistants were arrested on 20 April for drawing salaries of sanitation workers using fake thumb impressions for the past eight years.

The sleuths of the commissioner's task force, south zone, Hyderabad, apprehended Mohd. Haji Ahmed (38) of Bhavaninagar and Mohd. Layeeq (42) of Moghalpura, Hyderabad, and seized five duplicate thumb fingerprints, two biometric devices, and two mobile phones from them. The two men were using duplicate thumb impressions of sweepers and drawing salaries in their absence.

Haji Ahmed and Layeeq are GHMC contractual workers who have been working as sanitary field assistants (SFA) for the last 12 to 15 years. They were in charge of taking the attendance of employees using biometric thumbprints. The two created counterfeit thumb impressions to cheat the authorities and make money.

Haji Ahmed engaged two members and Mohd. Layeeq three members as sweepers. These five workers never attended their work but their attendance was being marked as 'present' in the mobile biometric device. This was being done using the duplicate thumb imprints. Each person was earning about Rs. 14,000 per month in this way.

Based on reliable information, the commissioner's task force apprehended the two men on 20 April at Meraj Hotel in Bhavani Nagar, Hyderabad. They seized the counterfeit thumb imprints, biometric devices, and two mobile phones. The accused along with the seized property were handed over to the SHO of Bhavani Nagar police station for further action.