Authorities seek CBI probe; Seven PO staff facing fraud charges suspended; Depositors call off protest after two days
Saragur: A major scam worth several crores of rupees, involving the Saragur Post Office (PO) staff has come to light and the Department of Posts has written to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct the probe.
District Assistant Superintendent of Posts Chetan informed about the case being entrusted to CBI, after the depositors at Saragur Post Office, staged a protest for two days, starting from Monday, accusing the Post Office staff and their officers, of allegedly siphoning off the deposit amount worth crores of rupees.
Ironically, the scamsters didn’t spare even their own retired colleague’s deposit of Rs. 2 lakh. Dasegowda, who had retired as Postman, had made a Fixed Deposit of Rs. 2 lakh in his wife’s name at the Post Office. The accused had withdrawn the FD amount, by forging the signature.
Chetan, who visited the protest venue, said that, a letter has been written to CBI to take over the probe. District Superintendent of Posts Harish, who was supposed to visit, had to go to Kolar on an official visit, he added.
The Post Office staff — Assistant Post Master B.S. Deepak, Postman Karaiah, Shashikala, Teja, K.S. Pushpalatha, S. Veena and Chaitra — who are under scanner, have been kept under suspension.
Primarily, it has come to light that about 75 depositors have been victims of the scam and the deposit amount of four among them has been returned.
The issue will be discussed at the State-level meeting of Postal Department in Bengaluru today.
The Superintendent of Posts and other officers will be visiting Saragur Post office tomorrow (Nov. 27), assured Chetan, following which the depositors called off their protest.
