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Arunachal post office staffer arrested for Rs 39 lakh fund embezzlement
A Tawang Post Office staffer in Arunachal Pradesh was arrested after postal officials reported Rs 39.25 lakh missing. The case has raised fresh concern over the handling of insurance premiums and counter cash.
A woman working at a post office in Arunachal Pradesh was arrested for embezzling government funds worth Rs 39.25 lakh, police said on Thursday. The accused, a multi-tasking staffer at the Tawang Post Office, was taken into custody on September 14 after a complaint was filed by the postal department.
Police said the embezzlement came to light during a financial verification at the post office on September 7. According to the complaint, major accounting discrepancies were found, and the staffer failed to account for Rs 39.25 lakh as of September 10.
Tawang Superintendent of Police Tasi Darang said Inspector of Post Office, Bomdila Postal Sub Division, H Nilamai Singh, filed a written complaint on September 13.
In the complaint, Singh said, "The unaccounted sum included Rs 34.49 lakh collected as Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) premiums between January 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024, which was neither deposited into official accounts nor produced despite repeated reminders."
The complaint also said an unremitted counter cash amount of Rs 4.75 lakh was missing. "Upon initial questioning by the postal authorities, the accused admitted the shortage and submitted a written undertaking acknowledging that she had misappropriated the public funds," the complainant said.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered at Tawang Police Station and the investigation was taken up by officer-in-charge N Angu. Darang said, "The accused was arrested on September 14 after adhering to all legal formalities and has been remanded to police custody. Further investigation into the matter is underway."