Hyderabad: Postal official in Rs 1.3 crore scam; CBI registers another FIR
Hyderabad: The postal cash exchange scam may be bigger than what it was thought to be. Sleuths of the Central Bureau of Investigation on Saturday booked another FIR against top postal officials including senior superintendent of post offices in the city K. Sudheer Babu.
In one instance, Rs 1.3 crore of cash meant for exchange to public at Golconda was used to convert black money of traders into white by taking a commission. The CBI has also detected another fraud in Karwan where crores of rupees got diverted to traders particularly in Old City and politicians in the city.
Sudheer Babu emerges ‘kingpin’ in postal scams
Sleuths of the CBI on Saturday booked another FIR against top postal officials including senior superintendent of post offices in the city K. Sudheer Babu. In one instance, Rs 1.3 crore of cash meant for exchange at Golconda was used to convert black money.
CBI sources said the fraud is similar to that of the Himayatnagar fraud where '36 lakh cash of new currency was diverted. The key accused Sudheer Babu is absconding. Mr Sudheer Babu has emerged as a kingpin of the postal cash exchange scam.
A CBI source said, “Sudheer Babu formed a gang of commission agents and along with other postal staff had diverted at least 50 per cent of around Rs 30 crore that was supposed to be distributed in one of the divisions of Hyderabad region”
The CBI on Saturday booked an FIR against Golconda Post Office Sub Postmaster Govinda Rao, office assistant at the senior superintendent’s office, G. Ravi Teja and another employee Syed Ehteshamuddin.
The CBI conducted searches in the house of Govinda Rao, Ravi Teja and Ehteshamuddin in Golconda and Gachibowli and seized Rs 3.5 lakh cash of new currency they got as commission.
Earlier, the CBI also recovered Rs 10 lakh cash of new currency as commission from the houses of the friends of Mr Sudheer Babu. Mr Sudheer Babu and Mr Ravi Teja were named in Himayatnagar scam too.
The alleged fraud took place on November 16 and 19 in Golconda Post Office. The accused may have converted the money of traders, jewellers and businessmen. Postal Vigilance has formed 25 teams for in 6,000 post offices in the state where about Rs 170 crore of cash has been exchanged.
A senior postal official said, “Our teams are conducting surprise checks across TS . When we get information we will pass it on to the CBI. The fraud at Karwan has also been confirmed and the CBI has seized records.
Telangana state is divided into two regions — one is Hyderabad City Region, including Hyderabad, Medak and Sangareddy and the other is Hyderabad region that includes rest of Telangana. Around Rs 110 crore has been distributed in Hyderabad City Region.
Hyderabad City region is further divided into four divisions — Hyderabad city division headed by Mr Sudheer Babu, — Secunderabad, Hyderabad South East and Hyderabad GPO,”
The CBI is also suspecting fraud may have occurred in Hyderabad South East Division that comprises post offices like Vanasthalipuram and in Old City. Mr Sudheer Babu had earlier worked in Chandrapur and was transferred here a year- and-a-half ago.
The CBI’s Hyderabad unit booked the second case under criminal conspiracy; criminal misconduct, criminal breach of trust, as also criminal breach of trust by a public servant, cheating and falsification of books of accounts.
