Why was Airports Authority manager arrested for Rs 232 crore embezzlement?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- CBI arrests senior AAI manager for embezzlement.
- Fraud scheme involved manipulation of records.
- Approx. Rs 232 crore diverted into personal accounts.
- Investigations ongoing to trace funds and collusion.
- Public trust in financial management is at stake.
New Delhi, Aug 30 (NationPress) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended Rahul Vijay, a Senior Manager with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), accused of misappropriating public funds amounting to nearly Rs 232 crore, according to a statement from the agency released on Saturday.
This case emerged from a complaint lodged by the AAI, asserting that Vijay, during his tenure at Dehradun Airport, orchestrated a sophisticated fraud scheme by tampering with both official and electronic documentation.
The investigation by the CBI was initiated based on the AAI’s allegations.
The CBI claims that between 2019-20 and 2022-23, the accused fabricated duplicate and fictitious assets, inflating the values of existing ones—often by merely adding zeros to the figures—to evade detection.
Through such manipulations, approximately Rs 232 crore is believed to have been unlawfully funneled into his personal bank accounts.
Initial investigations indicate that Vijay subsequently transferred substantial amounts of the embezzled funds into trading accounts, using them for speculative transactions and unlawfully enriching himself.
It has been alleged that Vijay, who was the authorized signatory for AAI's bank accounts with the State Bank of India, established three separate user IDs to facilitate an underhanded transfer of funds.
The CBI reports that Vijay transferred money to a contractor of the AAI, while simultaneously routing funds to his own account by inflating the amounts.
On August 28, CBI teams executed searches at his official and residential properties in Jaipur, resulting in the seizure of incriminating documents, including records concerning real estate, valuable securities, and other assets suspected to be tied to the fraud.
Vijay has now been arrested, with officials confirming that additional investigations are underway to trace the money trail and uncover potential collusion.