UP: Mainpuri Court clerk arrested for embezzling ₹1.24 crore; operated bank accounts even after mother's death

Mainpuri (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 21(ANI): A court clerk in Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh, has been arrested for embezzling ₹1.24 crore from the district court.
Anoop Kumar Yadav, an administrative clerk, allegedly transferred funds to his deceased mother's (Rama Devi), his wife's (Reena Devi), and his brother's (Abhishek Yadav) bank accounts between March 2021 and December 2025.
A routine audit confirmed the financial irregularities, prompting the court to register a case against Yadav. Yadav allegedly used his family members' accounts to launder the embezzled funds.
The police have seized Yadav's assets and are investigating further. He has been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.
The investigation began on January 5, 2026, when the district court received an email regarding discrepancies in data verification and audit. An audit team arrived two days later to inspect the records of Anup Kumar's salary accounts. Following their initial findings, the District Judge formed a special inquiry committee to investigate the matter further.
The committee's report from the Mainpuri Treasury revealed a staggering pattern of abuse of power. The fraudulent activity reportedly spanned from March 2021 to December 2025. Anup Kumar is accused of withdrawing 1,24,79,152 rupees in excess of his legitimate salary.
He allegedly used his official position to facilitate these financial irregularities. To conceal and utilise the funds, Kumar allegedly orchestrated a web of transfers to his family members. He continued to operate the bank account of his mother, Rama Devi, despite her death on December 30, 2019. Funds were also transferred to his wife, Reena Devi, and his brother, Abhishek Yadav.
A portion of the illegal proceeds was allegedly funnelled into share market accounts. The scam was uncovered during an official audit, after which the in-charge Chief Administrative Officer, Devvrat Rai Chaudhary, filed an FIR at the Kotwali Police Station on Monday.
This was not Kumar's first brush with the law; he had a prior FIR (No. 985/2019) filed against him for similar charges of falsification of accounts and criminal breach of trust.
The police registered the case under Sections 316(5) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Sub-Inspector Dinesh Kumar has been appointed to lead the investigation.
The accused was produced before the court, which subsequently remanded him to 14 days of judicial custody. Police officials, however, have remained tight-lipped regarding the details of the investigation.
Yadav reportedly diverted government funds into the bank accounts of his deceased mother (Rama Devi), his wife (Reena Devi), and his brother (Abhishek Yadav).
The discrepancies were discovered after the Indian Audit and Accounts Department conducted a comprehensive financial audit for the fiscal years 2021-22 to 2025-26, following reports of illegal transfers.
This audit, conducted between January 5 and January 7, 2026, revealed that between March 2021 and December 2025, Yadav systematically exploited his position to withdraw over Rs 1.2 crore in excess of his sanctioned salary. (ANI)