CBI takes charge of investigation into Himachal post office job scam
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The Newz Radar
SHIMLA: The Anti-Corruption Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Shimla has initiated an investigation into an alleged job scam involving the Postal Department in Himachal Pradesh. The scam revolves around several persons fraudulently securing jobs in the department through fake certificates.
While the local police in various districts of the state had been handling the initial investigations, the increasing number of individuals securing jobs through forged documents prompted the case being handed over to the CBI. According to the ongoing CBI investigation, over 100 persons from outside the state have allegedly secured jobs in different post offices within Himachal Pradesh using fake certificates. The CBI took charge of the investigation in the last week of December, categorising it as a “significant recruitment scam”.
The Postal Department has forwarded two cases from Hamirpur to the Anti-Corruption Branch of the CBI at Shimla. In a coordinated effort, CBI teams conducted raids at Ludhiana in Punjab, Muzaffarpur in Bihar and Rohtak in Haryana on Thursday, leading to the recovery of crucial documents. CBI teams raided the Muzaffarpur and Ludhiana houses of accused Kundan Kumar. Additionally, the residence of one Sunny of Rohtak was also searched. Both Kundan and Sunny had been appointed to various post offices in Bilaspur in 2021 and 2022, respectively, but their appointments were subsequently cancelled.
The Postal Department initiated the recruitment process in 2020 to fill vacant positions of Gramin Dak Sevaks in Himachal circle. Candidates were selected based on the merit list of Class X marks. The CBI’s investigation suggests that Kundan and Sunny, during the recruitment process, forged their Class X certificates, creating fake documents in the name of the Tamil Nadu State Board of School Examination, Chennai. Notably, the investigation revealed that no such documents were issued by the Tamil Nadu Board in the names of the accused.
Meanwhile, the Shimla police is conducting its own investigation into about a dozen cases related to fraudulent job acquisitions within the city. Cases have been registered at Shimla Sadar, Boileauganj, Dhalli, Theog, Chopal, Rohru, Kumarsain and Kotkhai police stations
