Fraud and forensic investigations
A clear account of what happened, who was involved and what it cost, built on evidence that holds up before a board, a regulator or a court.
Procurement fraud, kickbacks, conflicts of interest, asset misappropriation and financial misstatement.
A fraud investigation answers three questions: what happened, who was involved and how much was lost. We agree those questions with the board or audit committee at the start, so the work stays focused and the findings reach the people who must act on them.
The order of work matters. Data, devices and records are preserved before anyone is alerted. Transactions, vendor masters and approvals are then tested and fund flows traced, so that by the time we interview witnesses and subjects we already know what the records show.
Every finding in our report traces to a document, a record or a witness. Digital evidence is collected in BDI's own forensic lab under a documented chain of custody. The result supports disciplinary action, recovery, an insurance claim or a criminal complaint, whichever route you choose.
An allegation, an audit finding or unexplained losses suggest that someone inside or close to the business is acting dishonestly.
Signs we see most often
- 01A whistle-blower complaint names an employee, a vendor or a manager.
- 02Internal audit finds payments, discounts or credit notes that nobody can explain.
- 03Margins fall in one plant, region or category without a business reason.
- 04A vendor appears to be linked to an employee or the employee's family.
- 05Stock, scrap or cash does not reconcile to the books.
- 06An auditor raises a possible fraud under Companies Act s.143(12).
Scoped in writing, run by one accountable team.
Every engagement starts with agreed questions, a reporting line and a confidentiality protocol. The steps below are how this service usually runs; we adapt them to your matter.
- 01ScopeAgree the questions, the reporting line and a confidentiality protocol with the board or audit committee.
- 02PreserveSecure e-mail, devices, ERP data and paper records before anyone is alerted.
- 03AnalyseTest transactions, vendor masters and approvals, and trace the money across accounts and related parties.
- 04CorroborateVerify vendors, premises and relationships through field and open-source enquiries.
- 05InterviewSpeak to witnesses first and subjects last, under a documented protocol that respects natural justice.
- 06ReportSet out the findings, the value of the loss, the people involved and the control failures, each traced to evidence.
A report that sets out what happened, who was involved, the value of the loss and the control failures, with every finding traced to evidence.
- An investigation report with findings graded by the strength of the evidence
- A loss computation with supporting schedules
- An evidence bundle with chain-of-custody records
- Interview records and a timeline of events
- Control recommendations with owners and priorities
The law and frameworks this work is aligned to
- Aligned to the ICAI Forensic Accounting and Investigation Standards
- Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 s.63 for electronic records
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 offences of cheating, criminal breach of trust and forgery
- Companies Act, 2013 ss.143(12) and 447
- RBI Fraud Risk Management Directions, 2026, for regulated entities
- DPDP Act, 2023 for the lawful handling of personal data
References show the standard the work is built to. They do not imply accreditation or endorsement by the bodies that publish them.
This is a summary of the service. For a deeper understanding of how it would work for your organisation, please reach out to us.
Talk to a BDI partnerWhere this service meets BDI's technology.
The platforms below record, monitor or act on the work this service produces.
Questions clients ask before we start.
Will the people under investigation find out?
Not before they need to. Preservation and analysis are done discreetly, access to the matter is limited to named people, and subjects are interviewed only once the records have been examined.
Can the findings be used in court?
They are built for that. Evidence is collected and documented to the standard a court expects, electronic evidence carries a chain of custody and a Section 63 certificate, and the report separates fact from inference.
Who do you report to?
To the person or committee agreed at the start, usually the audit committee chair, the general counsel or the board. If an allegation involves senior management, we agree an independent reporting line so that the findings cannot be filtered.