By the time Rs 7.13 lakh was withdrawn from a joint savings account at a Kanpur post office, both account holders were dead. Their daughter, Akanksha Chaurasia, filed a complaint.

The postal department’s inquiry traced the withdrawals, made four months apart, to two employee IDs.Police arrested postal assistant Shivam Sachan and then acting sub-postmaster Rakesh Kumar Mishra on Sunday on charges of embezzling depositors’ money at the Ghatampur sub-post office. DCP (South) Deependra Nath Chaudhary said the irregularities involved crores of rupees.

Investigators have yet to establish the total.TWO WITHDRAWALS, TWO USER IDsThe account belonged to Akanksha’s parents, Jitendra Kumar Chaurasia and Archana Chaurasia. The records showed a withdrawal of Rs 4.15 lakh on January 23, 2025, and another of Rs 2.98 lakh on May 28.The inquiry found that Sachan’s user ID was used to make the withdrawals and Mishra’s supervisory ID to verify them.

Investigators allege the two employees misused their official access to take money from depositors’ accounts. AT MATURITY, NO RECORD OF THEIR SAVINGSSome villagers learnt something was wrong only when their investments matured.

They had handed over money for years and went to the post office expecting to get it back with interest. The post office had no record of some deposits.

Some villagers found there was no account in their name.More than 25 people have reportedly filed formal complaints. In the Chaurasia case, the inquiry found a record of the money going out.

For some of the other complainants, police are trying to establish whether the money ever went in.FROM INQUIRY TO ARRESTS The postal department suspended Sachan and Mishra after its inquiry pointed to their involvement. Office superintendent Ravi Kumar lodged a complaint at Ghatampur police station, where two FIRs were registered on Saturday.Chaudhary said both men admitted their involvement during questioning.

Police produced them before a court on Sunday, which sent them to jail. Investigators are still working to establish how many depositors were affected.- Ends