Team Herald
SANGUEM: A written police complaint was lodged by the inquiry officer investigating the alleged swindling of postal deposits by a clerk at Valkini Post Office, on Friday.
The inquiry was initiated following complaints by a large number of depositors that a clerk at Valkini Post Office was refusing to allow them to withdraw their matured deposits. And the inquiry officer filed a formal complaint on the issue at the Sanguem police station on Friday.
According to the depositors, over Rs 15 lakh stands misappropriated by the postal clerk over a period of two or more years. The villagers claim that over 300 depositors have been affected due to the alleged fraud committed by the postal clerk at Valkini Post Office.
The inquiry officers deputed to investigate into the matter has reportedly sought eleven days time from the depositors to inquire into the matter as to how many depositors have made their deposits at the Valkini Post Office and the amount deposited by them. The inquiry officers also reportedly informed the police of furnishing details of the investigation from time to time.
Sources informed that as per the postal norms, the clerk after receiving the deposits from the public was required to forward the amount to the main Post Office at Sanguem on the day of deposit by the people. However, the clerk after acknowledging the receipt of the money from the public by stamping the Pass Books with the postal seal, would not remit the amount to the main Post Office and allegedly siphoned the funds for his needs.
Incidentally, some of the depositors who had entrusted their Pass Books to the Clerk for safe keeping are the most worried as they do not have any proof of the deposits made at the Post Office.
Some villagers claim that their Pass Books are being damaged by the clerk since the time the issue came to fore.
The alleged fraud came to light only last month when the deposits made by some of the depositors got matured and the clerk refused to pay the amount.
Meanwhile, the President of Sanguem Block Congress Messiah D’Costa met the Post Master and the inquiry officer at the Sanguem Post Office along with the affected public and urged the department officials to expedite the investigation process as the Department has been taking a long time to investigate the matter.
D’Costa has threatened of an agitation if the department fails to come with a decisive reply within eleven days time.
In the meantime, the coordinator of GOACAN Roland Martins has written a letter to the Senior Superintendent of Post, Goa Division, Mapusa to intervene in the matter and settle the issue at the earliest as otherwise, he wrote, the issue would cause anxiety among the postal consumers all over Goa particularly in South Goa.
