A postmaster in Odisha’s Keonjhar district has been accused of cheating villagers and misappropriating their deposit and insurance funds, prompting several residents to approach the police on Sunday. According to allegations, the postmaster defrauded 28 individuals and embezzled nearly Rs 15 lakh by issuing fake bonds and taking loans in their names.

Residents of Gudikansa, under the Purujoda Post Office jurisdiction, claimed that postmaster Babulal Patra visited households, encouraging them to invest in postal schemes, promising high returns and long-term benefits. Trusting his assurances, villagers deposited money regularly, believing their savings were secure. The alleged fraud surfaced when depositors attempted to withdraw their matured amounts and discovered that loans had been taken out under their names without their consent.

Victims alleged that Patra used duplicate documents to open schemes and secure loans. They further claimed that he delayed payouts for months, offering repeated excuses. The affected villagers have now sought the intervention of Telkoi Police.

Victims Share Plight

Dasama Munda, one of the victims, said, “He opened the schemes using duplicate documents without informing us. After the maturity period, he kept delaying payouts for more than five months, and we have still received nothing. Apart from fixed deposits, he even took loans against people who had insurance policies.”

Another resident, Sahadev Patra, said, “I asked him many times for the documents, but he refused to provide them. After repeated requests, he finally gave me a bond after several months. When I went to the Postal Head Office in Keonjhar to check my policy status, I was told that a loan of Rs 1 lakh had been taken in my name in June 2024.”

Birbal Munda added, “He told us our money would double in 15 years. We paid every month, but later discovered that a loan had been taken out under my name.”

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Villagers have urged authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and initiate appropriate action against the accused, sources said.