ATTEMPT TO DEFRAUD BAWRA

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 63, 14 March 1924, Page 11

ATTEMPT TO DEFRAUD BAWRA

OVER _E 12,000 I-TVOLVED. ALLEGATIONS AGAINST A CLERK. MELBOURNE, March 1. A remarkable attempt was made recently to defraud Bawra of over £12,000. On February 16 the Detective Office was informed by Mr. G. F. Paries, secretary of Bawra, that on February 7 a letter had been received which purported to be from a sliareh older in Sydney requesting that scrip and certain cheques be forwarded to the Commonwealth Bank, Collins Street. That bank, several days later, received a visit from a young man who inquired regarding the cheques and -crip. A clerk, to whom he spoke, noticed during the course of conversa tion that the moustache worn by the caller appeared to be a false one. He became suspicious, and directed the man to the correspondence department. Instead of going there the man walked outside. No communication was received from the shareholder in Sydney, and inquiries made disclosed that he had not sent the letter, and that an audacious attempt to defraud had been frustrated by the prompt action- of the hank official. Two detectives were busily engaged on Saturday, and in the afternoon they took into "custody William Austin, a temporary clerk, who had been employed by Bawra. They charged him that, between February 7 and 13, he did, by means of false pretences, attempt to obtain from Bawra cheques to the value of £5445 18/ and share certificates valued at -fiOGO. with intent to defraud.