CBI Books Former Accounts Officer For Siphoning Rs 2 Crore From India’s Geneva Mission

Last Updated:December 21, 2025, 18:48 IST

The case adds to a growing list of investigations involving public officials accused of siphoning government funds to finance online trading, gaming and crypto-related activities.

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against a former accounts officer posted at India’s Permanent Mission in Geneva for allegedly diverting more than 200,000 Swiss francs, estimated at around Rs 2 crore, from official accounts to fund cryptocurrency gambling activities.

According to officials cited by PTI, the accused, identified as Mohit, joined the Indian mission in Geneva on December 17, 2024, as an Assistant Section Officer.

He was tasked with submitting payment instructions to the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS), where the Mission maintains accounts in US dollars and Swiss francs.

Investigators said the irregularities were detected in the Mission’s Swiss franc account. The Mission routinely makes payments to local vendors in Switzerland based on invoices carrying pre-printed QR codes that contain the vendor’s bank and invoice details.

These QR codes, along with payment instruction slips signed by authorised officials, are physically submitted to UBS for processing. Multiple vendor payments are often consolidated under a single instruction slip.

As part of his duties, Mohit was responsible for carrying the QR codes and payment documents to the bank. He also had account-viewing access alongside the Head of Chancery.

The CBI suspects that Mohit replaced some of the vendors’ QR codes with self-generated ones, redirecting payments into his personal Swiss franc account at UBS instead of the intended vendor accounts.

Using this method, he allegedly transferred over 200,000 CHF to his personal account during 2025.

Officials said the fraud went undetected for months as Mohit allegedly manipulated monthly bank statements, substituting his name with that of the legitimate vendors.

These altered statements were used during routine account reconciliations, allowing the diversion of funds to escape scrutiny.

The alleged scam came to light during an audit after duplicate payments were flagged in transactions linked to a local vendor, Ejey Travels. A detailed review pointed to a suspected loss of approximately CHF 200,000.

When confronted, Mohit allegedly submitted a written confession admitting that he diverted the funds to support crypto-gambling activities. He was subsequently repatriated to India along with his family.

Officials said Mohit later deposited CHF 12,830, CHF 9,825 and CHF 28,000 into the Mission’s account before his return to India. These transactions were reflected in the Mission’s bank records.

The CBI has booked him under charges of criminal breach of trust, forgery, falsification of accounts and relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The case adds to a growing list of investigations involving public officials accused of siphoning government funds to finance online trading, gaming and cryptocurrency-related activities.

Earlier this year, the CBI arrested a senior finance manager of the Airports Authority of India for allegedly diverting over ₹232 crore, and also booked a Bank of India officer accused of misappropriating more than ₹16 crore for similar purposes.

News india CBI Books Former Accounts Officer For Siphoning Rs 2 Crore From India’s Geneva Mission

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