A 32-year-old rural postal worker, Surendra Singh Panchpal, was arrested on Saturday in connection with an alleged scam involving Rs 32 lakh at the Simgari sub-post office, located under Kanda police jurisdiction.
The arrest followed an FIR filed by the Bageshwar post office inspector, prompted by a departmental investigation. SP Chandrashekhar R. Ghodke stated that the inquiry revealed Panchpal allegedly defrauded 59 account holders of over Rs 25 lakh, in addition to more than Rs 7 lakh that went missing from the post office.
Panchpal faces multiple charges under various sections of the IPC, including 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), and 471 (using as genuine a forged document). Following the FIR, he was taken into custody and has since been remanded to jail by the court.
SP Ghodke mentioned that the Circle Officer of Kapkot is overseeing the ongoing investigation and noted that a special investigation team may be formed if necessary. “We are examining Panchpal’s past records and investigating potential accomplices. If additional individuals are found to be involved, they will also face legal action,” he affirmed.