Two employees handling finances at the Chennai office of SriLankan Airlines allegedly misappropriated ₹2.20 crore by diverting company funds to multiple bank accounts using forged receipts and fabricated financial documents.

Based on a complaint lodged by the airline, the police launched an investigation. Efforts are under way to trace the accused.

Investigations have also uncovered a larger fraud, involving nearly ₹10 crore, linked to the airline’s operations in Dubai and Chennai, prompting parallel probes in Dubai, Sri Lanka, and Chennai.

According to sources, a service provider engaged by SriLankan Airlines in Dubai informed the airline that payments worth nearly ₹8 crore had not been received. Airline officials, however, said the payments had already been transferred based on email communication received from the vendor.

Subsequent inquiries revealed that unidentified cyber fraudsters had hacked the email account of the airline’s service provider’s and diverted the funds through fraudulent transactions.

Following the discovery, SriLankan Airlines filed complaints with the Criminal Investigation Department authorities in Dubai and Sri Lanka, leading to a detailed probe into the suspected cyber fraud.

In a separate complaint concerning the airline’s Chennai office on Dr. Radhakrishnan Road, the company alleged that staff members responsible for financial transactions siphoned off ₹2.20 crore by creating fake payment records and forged receipts. Police sources said the complaint led to the registration of a case and initiation of an inquiry into the financial irregularities.

Preliminary investigations suggest that fabricated financial documents were used to facilitate the fraudulent transactions. Police teams are searching for employees suspected to be involved in the scam, while further investigations are under way.