In a significant development, Hyderabad police have arrested Mettu Venkateshwarlu, a former employee of the Amazon Development Centre (ADC) in Gachibowli, for allegedly misappropriating Rs3.2 crore over an eight-year period. Venkateshwarlu, who previously worked as a senior financial operational analyst, was responsible for managing payroll activities for active employees and overseeing the full and final settlement of former employees.
According to the police, Venkateshwarlu hatched a plan with accomplices to divert funds intended for former employees’ settlements into their own bank accounts. His modus operandi involved creating forged emails and bank statement files while processing the settlements. He specifically targeted unclaimed outstanding payments that had been pending for long periods.
By manipulating bank transfer files, Venkateshwarlu altered the account numbers of the former employees, replacing them with the accounts of his friends or relatives. In total, he allegedly siphoned off Rs3.2 crore, which was supposed to be paid to 184 former Amazon employees. These funds were transferred to 50 different accounts.
The police are continuing their investigation and are working to identify Venkateshwarlu’s accomplices in the fraud. Authorities are also scrutinizing the roles of other potential individuals involved in facilitating the scheme.
This arrest highlights the risks of internal financial mismanagement and the vulnerabilities in handling sensitive payroll information.