Postmaster Used Savings Deposit Of 24 Families For IPL Betting, Lost Rs 1 Crore, Arrested
In a shocking incident, a Postmaster was arrested in Madhya Pradesh after using money deposited by savings account holders for IPL betting.
The accused, identified as Vishal Ahirwar, the sub-post office postmaster at the Bina Post office in Sagar district was arrested on Friday after some investors complained to the police alleging that they have been duped by him.
Depositors money never went to their accounts
According to the police, Ahirwar used the money invested in Post office fixed deposits to place bets during the IPL.
He reportedly swindled off investors' money for nearly two years before he was caught.
Police said that Ahirwar used to issue Fixed Deposit passbooks to account holders in which their deposit amount was mentioned.
But in reality, the accounts never went into the records of the post office and the amounts ranging from a few thousand Rupees to lakhs went into the pocket of Ahirwar.
The fraud came to light after some investors who went to withdraw their hard-earned money were told by the Post Office that no such accounts exist on their records.
Caught for financial irregularities in the past as well
Based on the complaints Ahirwar was arrested by the Bina Government Railway Police (GRP) on Friday.
"The arrested sub postmaster Vishal Ahirwar has been booked right now u/s 420 IPC (cheating) and 408 IPC (criminal breach of trust). More sections could be added in the case based on the outcome of further investigations," Bina-GRP police station in-charge Ajay Dhurve said.
He has reportedly confessed of spending over two crores on placing bets in IPL over the past two years.
Following his arrest, it has also come to light that Ahirwar who was earlier posted at the sub-post office in Khimlasa was once suspended over financial irregularities there.
IPL betting rackets busted
Though sports betting is illegal in India, such incidents are rampant, especially during the IPL.
On Sunday, Delhi Police busted an IPL betting racket in the national capital and arrested six persons engaged in it.
"Acting on a specific input, received by Special staff on May 15, a team of Delhi Police arrived at the premises with the informer and raided the building where they found six persons gambling on IPL matches using laptop and other electric devices," the police said.
The cops also recovered Rs 74,740 in cash, 10 Mobile phones, two laptops, three internet routers, two LED TVs, voice recorders, call merger microphones, two Notebooks (having a record of gambling) and one suitcase carrying a gambling device with five mobile phones being attached to it.
In the past few weeks, similar networks have been busted in UP, MP and Maharashtra.
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