‘Sign here for opening fixed deposits': How Bengaluru postal assistant duped customers of nearly Rs 12 lakh
A postal assistant in Bengaluru allegedly swindled Rs 11.8 lakh from the accounts of five customers after obtaining their signatures on the pretext of opening fixed deposits.
Pavithra H L, who has been working at the Banashankari Stage 3 post office since April 2021, allegedly committed the fraud between January 17 and June 11, 2024. The postal authority's preliminary inquiry recently concluded, confirming Pavithra's guilt, leading to her transfer to another branch.
Pavithra allegedly exploited customers' trust and obtained their signatures on withdrawal forms under the guise of opening fixed deposits or investing under Central government schemes, such as the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana. She made several unauthorised withdrawals from the victims' post office savings accounts for personal use, said the police.
The alleged fraud came to light when a customer, Mehak Arbina from Umarbagh Layout, discovered that money had been missing from her account and raised the alarm. The other victims are Jayamma N from Obalappa Garden, Tata Silk Farm, C R Rashmi from Banashankari Stage 3, S Nagaraju from Gowdanapalya, and Rathnamma from K R Road.
The assistant superintendent of the postal branch filed a police complaint on June 21, though there was a delay in approaching authorities due to account verification processes.
The Banashankari police filed an FIR in June under sections 408 (criminal breach of trust by a clerk or servant), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant, banker, merchant, or agent), 403 (dishonest misappropriation of property), 417 (cheating), 418 (cheating with the knowledge that wrongful loss may ensue to a person whose interest the offender is bound to protect) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The police said they will issue a notice to Pavithra at the earliest as the investigation proceeds.
(Bhoomika Roy Banerjee is an intern with The Indian Express)
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