India News | CBI Books Maharashtra Postal Department Employee for Embezzlement

New Delhi, May 31 (PTI) The CBI has booked a postal department employee in Maharashtra's Ratnagiri for allegedly embezzling Rs 63 lakh from 260 dormant savings accounts of beneficiaries of government welfare schemes, officials said on Wednesday.

Gajanan Parasram Gutte, during his posting at Anjarla sub-post office from 2018-20, prepared forged withdrawal vouchers faking the signatures and thumb impressions of the beneficiaries who were either dead or too old to come to the post office regularly, they said.

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Gutte targeted savings bank accounts of beneficiaries of social welfare schemes such as Sanjay Gandhi Yojana, Shravan Bal Yojana and Indira Gandhi Old Age Pension Scheme.

He could smoothly embezzle funds citing inability to run central banking software Finacle due to poor internet connectivity as an excuse, according to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials.

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"He used to go to another office after working hours to complete the work which was pending due to network problems. To complete the work related to the savings bank (accounts) in Finacle, he used the user ID of postal assistant and sub-postmaster and did all the work himself," the CBI FIR has alleged.

His scheme was exposed after the head office and divisional office issued instructions to monitor high-value withdrawals.

"During the course of work, it was noticed that high-value transactions made at Anjarla sub-post office were suspicious as they involved various savings bank accounts standing at other sub-offices such as Vakavali, Khavati, Palgad and Khed Mukya, etc.

"The postmaster of Chiplun head post office intimated the fact over the phone on July 27, 2020, followed by a detailed report and thus the fraud came to light," the complaint filed by the Ratnagiri postal department said.

The FIR alleged that out of Rs 63.04 lakh, Gutte initially refunded Rs 2.58 lakh. During an inquiry by the postal department, Gutte allegedly admitted his guilt and returned another Rs 59.50 lakh, the FIR said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)