CHENNAI: A 29-year-old cleanliness worker was arrested for allegedly siphoning off five months' salary by showing his mother as a ghost employee in the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).

Police began investigations after an official with the private firm engaged by the Corporation for cleanliness work in Zone 10 found the fraud and filed a complaint. The supervisor, Karthikeyan, had allegedly marked attendance for one Mahalakshmi as a cleanliness worker, though she never reported for duty.

Her salary of Rs 19,800 per month, totalling Rs 98,930 for five months, was credited to her son's bank account. Her son, Pandian, also works as a cleanliness worker in the same firm.

A police team from St Thomas Mount station verified muster rolls, salary sheets and bank transactions and found that Karthikeyan and Pandian had colluded to execute the fraud. Karthikeyan had been collecting a monthly commission from Pandian for facilitating the fraud.

The police arrested Pandian (29) of Annai Sathya Nagar in Arumbakkam on Saturday and recovered Rs 40,000 cash from him. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded in prison. Police said efforts are on to trace Karthikeyan, who is the main accused and is absconding. Further investigations are under way.