About 30 account holders, who deposited their money at the Karilopatana sub-post office in Recurring Deposit (RD) scheme and later were swindled of their savings, staged indefinite dharna by locking the sub-post office. They demanded quick steps for return of their deposited sums of money duped by a former post master of the office.
Notably, former postmaster Arun Kumar Mohanty had duped lakhs of rupees by issuing fake pass books to the depositors under the RD scheme over two years back.
The agitators alleged that though more than two years had passed since they got to know that their saved money had been embezzled, but they were yet to get back their money. In the meantime, they said, they had brought the matter before the notice of the concerned authorities and staged agitation on several times demanding justice but all in vain.
They said that they resorted to dharana because of the apathy of the department and threatened that as long as their money was not returned, the stir would continue.
It may be noted here that the former Assistant Superintendent of Kendrapara Postal Sub division, Radhakanta Pradhan, on August 28, 2012 had probed the irregularities and had found that former postmaster Mohanty guilty. later, on December 12, 2013, the Superintendent of Cuttack(North) Postal Division had visited the post office and assured the victim account holders of return of their deposited amounts within three months. The case was later handed over to the CBI. But only 27 claims were settled so far.