Inspirational real story from my experience as Sub Divisional Inspector of Post Offices.

Dear Friends,

                         I   would   like   to share with you  my   experience as   Sub Divisional   Inspector  of   Post Offices  in a case of  verification of one  LTC  Bill of  one  Postman.

It was somewhere in the year 1989...during my tenure  as  Sub Divisional Inspector   of   Post Offices  of one Sub division from 1987  to 1991..one  LTC Bill of  one  Postman  was sent to me  by the Divisional  Office   for verification   .

The  special  reference  for   verification was that  the  postman  concerned( Hereinafter   called   as   Sri  A  )had not submitted  a few bus tickets    for   the   break journeys from  Bangalore  to  kollur   or so.

The claim of Sri  A  was  for  the journey  from  the   Head Quarters  to   Bangalore    ....kollur   and  back  to   the   Head Quarters for 3 persons   Self  ,    his wife  and his son.

I   visited   that  S.O     and enquired  with Sri A  about  the  wanting   tickets.   He  emphatically stated that  he  had  misplaced   those  tickets  and  requested  for sanction of   his   Bill based on   the details  and other   main tickets.His  statement  was recorded  accordingly.

My  confidential   enquiries however  pointed something   fishy   in this  case.

One  postal   assistant   of that office  was chatting with   me  when we were  going   towards    Bus Stop  after  the  close of the office.

He is  well known   to sri  A  and A's family.

He had jocularly   and at the same time seriously  quipped  like  this.

"Sir , Don't   believe this guy's  words,(Sri   A)

His  wife and his son had  not   accompanied  Sri A      for  the   journey   .He   had  taken  his

Paramour(Lady   friend)and her  brother (with   comparable   ages)  in  the place   of   his  wife  and son."

    ........

        I had  not   reacted   to  this   .

I  didn't think it wise    to confront Sri A   without any  evidence.   I  slept   over the matter  for about 2 days  ,with my   mind  working on the ways   for bringing out the truth.How  to   detect and  show that both  the  wife and  son of Sri A   were   physically available   in the  HQRS    place   during   the LTC   journey period(some  4   days   or so)?

A flash of thought   in my mind.   I know that the  son of Sri A was  engaged  every now and then as  coolie  messenger  for   delivery of  telegrams and inward  phone call(pp   calls)slips ....in that   S.O.      Not   only that  he had worked as  leave   substitutes in the  

.leave vacancies   of regular  ED Agents(now  GDS).

The   Records of  leave letters   leave  sanction  orders for the leave granted to the   ED  Agents are maintained    in my  office(O/O   THE    SUB DIVISIONAL   INSPECTOR).

Hence   the  job was  easier   for  me.

Thoroughly  checked  the  records   pertaining to the   Branch   Offices under that   S.O     covering the   journey period  especially.

It   was   seen   from the   records  that the son of Sri  A   had  worked as  substitute of  one  ED Agent   in a  B.O   under  that  S.O ..in the

Leave  vacancy for a short  spell being a part of the   LTC   Journey period.

Visited that  S.O   (readily   keeping   the relevant   records   in my possession).

Also  took possession   of the  S.O  records   ....telegrams   delivery register  ..

   delivery  slips   and phone call register.It was  found  from  these  registers that the  son  of  Sri   A has delivered   telegrams and  phone call slips  on a  few  days  which also covered   the    LTC   Journey  period.

Recorded the  statement of the  son of  Sri   A      in the presence of the   SPM  , by putting questions  with  reference  to all   the  above mentioned  records.

He had  clearly stated  that  he had  worked   at  the B.O  ,that he delivered telegrams and   call  slips    on the days   as  shown   in the  records   , that  he had  taken  payment of  the

Wages/salary  for  his  work as substitute  EDAgent   and received  the   coolie   charges for   delivery   of  telegrams .... phone calls  slips ,   that  he was in the HQRS   place  during  all those  days  and that  he did not    accompany  his   father   for any LTC   JOURNEY during the  said   period.

Finally   enquired  Sri A  and recorded  his  statement    on  interrogation   method   ,putting   questions   based   on the   documentary evidence   with  reference to  the

above mentioned   records  and  the  statement  of  his  own son.

One  of the   questions   is:..

..How  could   your   son  come  with you  for  your   journey  upto   Bangalore  and kollur  when   he  was  very much   available inthe   HQRS   and when   he  had worked   at the S.O  and  one  B.O.?

................................

.. 

He was  cornered with   documentary evidence based    -interrogation   and this   made   him    to  spill the beans   atlast (came out   with   truth).

The said  Sri   A    had admitted/confessed   that he had not taken along with  him  his wife  and  son for the  LTC  Journey,and that  he  had actually    taken  his  lady friend  and  her  brother  (in   substitution of  his  wife  and  son).

Thus  this is a  clear  case   of   fraudulent  misuse   of  LTC  on the part of  Sri   A. Postman.

I  had  submitted a  detailed   report   to  the   Divisional   Head.

...................................................

The  message   that  flows   from  this   case   is  :.....we already know  this  message.

"   Documentary  evidence   is   essential   to detect  and   get the  truth   in  the matter of  investigation  of cases.:"

Confidential  enquiries   are  also    essential.

.......................................................

Thanks to 

Shri. N.Inbalagan

SSPOs(Retd)

TN Circle

email  inbalagangingee@gmail.com