Two employees dupe Panjim store of Rs 9 lakh

PANJIM July 24: Two employees of a lifestyle showroom in Panjim have allegedly misappropriated Rs 9 lakh in the last four months by not accounting for antique items they sold, said police sources. Panjim police have registered a case of misappropriation and criminal breach of trust against Siddhi Amonkar and Caitan Fernandes. While Amonkar was the manager of Fusion Access Lifestyle Design, Panaji, Fernandes was the accountant.
Police said the duo have been absconding from work since Thursday and efforts to trace them at their homes in Marcel and Mopa respectively have proved futile. Amonkar and Fernandes had been working at the Panjim-based store since the last two years. The store's main office is in Mumbai and it started its operations in Goa in 2008. Sources said Amonkar and Fernandes were entrusted with the task of selling antique furniture and articles, including jewellery. They handled the entire showroom, sources claimed.
Over a period of time, however, the store's owners noticed that some goods were sold but the amount received was not accounted for. "So, four months ago, the owners came to Goa to physically verify each and every transaction. They realised that Amonkar and Fernandes sold items from the shop and did not account for them, thereby committing a fraud of Rs 9 lakh in four months," said sources. Sources further claimed that while the owners were conducting the inspection, the duo attended work regularly and even helped. "However, when they realised that the lid would soon be blown off their racket they stopped coming to work. This is since Thursday. When efforts to contact Amonkar and Fernandes failed, the owner of the shop lodged a police complaint," sources said.
The case is being investigated by the Panjim police.