In a major development, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Shimla has started looking into a widespread job scam in the Himachal Pradesh Postal Department. Shockingly, more than 100 people, mostly from outside the state, have been found to have gotten jobs in various post offices using fake certificates. The CBI stepped in the last week of December to dig into the matter.
The Postal Department handed over two cases from Hamirpur to the CBI, leading to targeted raids in Punjab, Bihar, and Haryana. Important documents were seized from the homes of suspects Kundan Kumar from Muzaffarpur and Sunny from Rohtak. Kundan got a job at the Jamli branch of the Sub Post Office Swarghat, Bilaspur, in 2021, while Sunny was appointed at the Lehri Sarail Post Office of Bilaspur in 2022-23. However, both of them had their appointments cancelled after their involvement in the scam came to light.
The recruitment process for the Postal Department began in 2020, aiming to fill vacant positions for Gramin Dak Sevaks. The selection was based on 10th-grade marks. Shockingly, CBI found that Kundan and Sunny had forged their 10th-grade certificates during the recruitment process, creating fake documents in the name of the Tamil Nadu State Board of School Examination, Chennai. The Tamil Nadu Board has no records of these certificates.
Simultaneously, local police are investigating around a dozen cases related to fraudulent job acquisitions in Shimla. These cases have been reported in various police stations, including Sadar, Baluganj, Dhali, Theog, Chaupal, Rohru, Kumarsain, and Kotkhai. People from states like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, such as Sonu, Vikram, Rakesh, Ravi Kumar, Sushil, Sahil, Rakesh, Aman, Vikas, Sahil, Ankit Kumar, Rahul from Jind, Haryana, and Manish Kumar from Mandi, are under investigation. Authorities are exploring possible connections to other states involved in the creation and distribution of fake certificates.
This ongoing investigation into the job scam within the Himachal Pradesh Postal Department highlights the need for strict measures to maintain the honesty of public sector employment. As more details emerge, there’s a clear need for increased vigilance and reforms to prevent fraudulent practices in job acquisition.
