Investigation support for boards and audit committees

Fraud Investigation Services in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

When a year-end count comes up short, a vendor's bank account changes without explanation or a whistle-blower raises a concern, the facts must be established before anyone is confronted. Astral Business Consulting LLP, a Coimbatore-based management consulting and audit firm, offers fraud investigation support to companies across Tamil Nadu. Stock reconciliation, ERP log review and document tracing give the board the facts: any loss quantified, a timeline tied to evidence and the control gaps to close.

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Factory records room in Coimbatore with padlocked steel filing cabinets, a chained almirah and box files

Our Fraud Investigation and Due Diligence Services

Independent investigation work commissioned by the board or the audit committee and run alongside your legal counsel, with every finding tied to a document, a log entry or a count.

Inventory Theft Investigation

Book stock is compared with a fresh blind count by item and location, and each shortage traced through gate passes, challans, weighbridge records and scrap sales, so any fraud reported under CARO 2020, where it applies, rests on evidence.

Procurement and Payroll Fraud Review

Vendor master changes, bank detail edits, duplicate or split bills and payroll records are tested across the period under review, so the facts are ready before the statutory auditor considers reporting under section 143(12).

Vendor and Pre-Acquisition Due Diligence

Before a large vendor is onboarded or a business is acquired, ownership, related-party links, past billing and the controls behind the numbers are checked, so the board decides on documented facts.

ERP Log and Data Analysis

Audit logs are read for changes to quantities, rates, item codes and vendor masters, and shared logins are mapped to users, drawing on an in-house library of more than 4,000 risks and controls.

Support When the Auditor Reports

At ₹1 crore or more, the statutory auditor reports a fraud to the Central Government in Form ADT-4 after seeking the board's reply within 45 days. Documented findings help the board give that reply.

Investigation Report for the Board

The report can cover scope and sources, any loss quantified and the method, a timeline tied to documents, the controls that failed, the supporting documents for counsel and fixes with owners and dates.

Padlocked steel mesh stores cage with spare parts and cables in an engineering factory

Our 5-Step Fraud Investigation Process

Commission and scope

The audit committee or the board commissions the work, usually through your counsel. Scope is agreed in writing: reporting line, period, locations, data access and how findings are shared. An independence check can come first: no recent audit of the same process and no links to the people under review.

Protect the records

On counsel's advice, the company keeps its ERP data, email boxes, stock ledgers and CCTV footage intact before anyone is questioned, and the review team lists the records it will need. The suspected person's rights to approve payments, change vendor masters or post stock adjustments are restricted quietly, and the case stays within a small group that includes counsel.

Count and reconcile

Where stock is involved, a fresh blind count at every location, including job workers, fixes the shortage by item, because the existing count may be compromised. Book stock is then reconciled to the count, and each gap is listed by item, location and value.

Trace the transactions

Each gap is linked to a document, a person and a date through gate passes, challans, weighbridge records, scrap sales and ERP logs. Any interview of the employee comes last, planned with your counsel, held with a witness present and recorded in writing.

Report to the board

For companies in Coimbatore and across Tamil Nadu, the report sets out any loss quantified, the method, the timeline and the controls that failed or were bypassed. It states facts the board can act on, not opinions about guilt, with fixes, owners and dates.

Choose by the case you have

How Specialist Investigators and Internal Audit Teams Differ

Forensic audit in India comes from providers with different outputs. A forensic accounting practice suits a multi-year or high-value fraud, or one where a senior manager or family member may be implicated, and chartered accountants on such work follow the ICAI Forensic Accounting and Investigation Standards. An internal audit firm with an investigation team suits stock losses, procurement and payroll fraud, where knowledge of the process and the ERP matters most. Legal counsel structures the enquiry in both cases. Astral Business Consulting approaches investigation support from its internal audit side. Choose by the size of the loss, the people involved and the evidence you need.

Security cabin at a Tamil Nadu factory gate with a CCTV recorder, a switched-off monitor and a closed register on the desk

Facts before accusation

Why Choose Astral Business Consulting for Fraud Investigation?

Findings tied to documents

Every finding is tied to a document, a log entry or a count sheet that your counsel can review, and no one is questioned until the records have been examined.

Through the computer, not around it

Audits at Astral Business Consulting read ERP audit logs, vendor masters and stock movements directly, so shared logins, edited rates and unapproved adjustments surface in the data itself.

Stock losses fixed by count

The Cycle Count division handles physical verification, so a fresh blind count across plants, godowns and job workers can fix the shortage by item before any tracing begins.

Western Tamil Nadu sector depth

Investigations are planned around where losses hide in spinning mills, jewellery showrooms, auto dealerships and foundries across Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode and Salem, from soft waste sales to karigar gold returns.

About Astral Business Consulting LLP

A Coimbatore-based management consulting and audit firm

Astral Business Consulting LLP is a management consulting and audit firm based in Coimbatore, offering internal, process and management audit to manufacturers across Western Tamil Nadu. Its work is organised in four divisions: Integrated Audit, Cycle Count, Best Accountant and Consulting. Alongside internal audit, the firm takes on due diligence and investigation work, where knowledge of the process and the ERP matters most. The methodology is COSO-based and draws on an in-house library of more than 4,000 risks and controls: 1,500+ process risks and controls and 2,500+ information-systems risks and controls. The team includes Chartered Accountants, Cost Accountants, engineers and information-systems auditors. Clients come from textiles and spinning, foundries and engineering, dairy and FMCG, jewellery retail, auto dealerships and educational trusts. For locations outside Tamil Nadu, Astral reports 40 associate offices across India.

1,500+process risks and controls in the in-house library
2,500+information-systems risks and controls
40associate offices across India, as Astral reports

Questions About Fraud Investigation in Coimbatore

Who can investigate suspected employee fraud or inventory theft in a company?

Astral Business Consulting LLP, a Coimbatore-based management consulting and audit firm, investigates suspected employee fraud and inventory theft through its due diligence and investigation service, usually alongside legal counsel. A forensic accounting practice is the other main option. The audit committee or the board should commission the work, never the manager under suspicion; the statutory auditor reports a fraud it finds but does not investigate for management.

What should a company do first when it suspects employee fraud?

Keep the records intact before anyone is questioned. On counsel's advice, take copies of ERP data, email boxes and stock ledgers, and extend CCTV retention before recorders overwrite footage. Restrict the suspected person's approval rights quietly, keep the case within a small group and do not confront the employee, because a premature accusation can destroy evidence and expose the company to legal claims.

Does the statutory auditor carry out the fraud investigation?

No. Under section 143(12) of the Companies Act, 2013, the statutory auditor reports a fraud it identifies during the audit: to the Central Government in Form ADT-4 at ₹1 crore or more, and to the audit committee or the board below that. Establishing the facts for management is a separate fraud investigation that the company commissions.

When should a company engage forensic audit firms in India rather than an internal audit team?

Bring in a forensic specialist when the loss is large, several years or people are involved, or a senior manager or family member may be implicated. Chartered accountants who take forensic engagements follow the ICAI Forensic Accounting and Investigation Standards. A contained case, such as one storekeeper and one class of stock at one location, can often be handled by an independent internal audit team.

How long does a fraud investigation take?

The time a fraud investigation takes depends on the period under review, the number of locations and the state of the ERP and stock records. A shortage at one stores location moves far faster than a multi-year procurement fraud. Agree a first findings date in the engagement letter, so the board knows when it will see facts.

Can CCTV footage and ERP logs be used in a fraud investigation?

Yes, if they are kept intact. Export the original footage from the DVR or NVR before it is overwritten, and do not edit the exported file. ERP audit logs show who changed quantities, rates or item codes, although shared logins can hide the user. Counsel advises on how the records should be handled and on the certificate needed to produce electronic records in court.

Should the employee be suspended during the investigation?

Sometimes, to protect evidence, but the HR head and counsel must ensure it follows the company's standing orders, service rules and the employment contract. Treat it as a neutral step, not a finding of guilt, and take legal advice first. Any interview of the employee comes last, once documents, logs and footage have been examined.

Coimbatore and Tamil Nadu Service Coverage

Astral Business Consulting is based in Coimbatore and takes on investigation work for companies across Tamil Nadu, including Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Chennai, Hosur, Madurai and Tiruchirappalli. Where stock sits in other states, Astral reports 40 associate offices across India for counts on the same cut-off date.

Discuss a Suspected Fraud in Confidence

Leave your name and email and the team will respond as soon as possible. Have ready a short account of what has come to light, the period and locations involved and who is aware of it so far, for the first call.

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