Sundargarh: An India Post employee was detained by the local people for alleged embezzlement of their deposited money amounting to around Rs 50 by a postmaster in Odisha’s Sundargarh district.
According to sources, the people of Kumajharia under Biramitrapur police limits in the district had deposited their money in the local post office under different schemes of the India Post. One of the woman depositors had gone to withdraw the money from her account in Kumajharia branch post office in May.
While she could not withdraw the money, the postmaster, Kuntilata Ganju, failed to give satisfactory explanation for it. Suspecting something foul, she went to Kuanramunda post office to enquire about her account. She was told that no money had been deposited in her account.
After she told other depositors about it, they also enquired about their deposited money from Kuanramunda post office and found that their money had also not been deposited in Kumajharia branch office. The total amount was estimated to be around Rs 50 lakh.
Following this, the depositors filed a complaint at Biramitrapur police station on May 8 while postmaster Ganju has been absconding.
Even as the police could not trace Ganju nor make any progress in the case, the agitated depositors detained a Postal department official, while he had come to the branch post office, for several hours on Tuesday.
On being informed, a team from Biramitrapur police station went to the spot. They pacified the protestors and released the postal employee.
Admitting that the postmaster had siphoned off the deposits of the account holders, Assistant Superintendent of Rourkela Postal Division said the people’s money had not been deposited in their accounts for the last five years.
He said a departmental inquiry has been ordered into the incident and Stern action would be taken against the officials responsible for embezzlement of the depositors’ money.
