SRINAGAR: A CBI court in Srinagar on Saturday convicted two former postal officials in an Rs 8.27 lakh fraud at the Bandipora Post Office.
“Ghulam Qadir Lone, then Sub Post Master, and Mohammad Shafi Lone, an authorised savings agent, were sentenced to three years’ simple imprisonment for forging records, manipulating ledger entries, and issuing fake passbooks between 2008 and 2009 to siphon depositors’ money,” officials said.
CBI Prosecutor Zahoor Ahmad Malik said the accused conspired to create false debit and credit entries, made unauthorised withdrawals, and cheated innocent account holders. “The court held them guilty under RPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 467, 468, 471 (forgery), 477-A (falsifying accounts), and the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act.”
Both convicts were fined Rs 10,000 under each section. The sentences will run concurrently. Failure to pay the fine will lead to an additional month’s imprisonment per section.
The court said the verdict should serve as a deterrent against corruption in public offices. (JKNS)
