KENDRAPARA: On the run for over two years, a suspended postmaster was arrested by Talachua Marine police on Thursday for allegedly misappropriating around Rs 30 lakh from the accounts of over 100 depositors.
Accused Dipankar Das (46) served as the postmaster of Krushnanagar post office and was absconding since June 2024 after a case was registered against him for reportedly siphoning off more than Rs 30 lakh from the accounts of people who had deposited money under various postal schemes, said police.
Das allegedly did not enter the deposited amounts in postal ledgers but reflected the same in the depositors’ passbooks. The irregularities came to light in June 2024 when some depositors discovered that money had been illegally withdrawn from their accounts by reportedly forging their signatures.
After the irregularities came to light, Das was placed under suspension. Besides, a senior official of the Pattamundai sub-division post office lodged a complaint against him. Based on the complaint, police registered a case. However, the accused fled his village fearing arrest.
“Acting on a tip-off, police arrested him when he came to attend a family function in Krushnanagar on Wednesday night,” said IIC of Talachua Marine police station Biswabhusan Sahani. On the day, Das was produced in court and remanded in judicial custody, he added.