Mizoram Postmaster Fleeing to Myanmar With Rural Job Fund Held

Aizawl, Feb 28 : Mizoram Police arrested a postmaster who was fleeing to neighbouring Myanmar with Rs.13.50 lakh meant to be disbursed for work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), police said here Monday.

The money was deposited with Lalrodinga, 36, a postmaster at Vaphai branch Post Office in eastern Mizoram, by the rural development department for subsequent disbursement among the MGNREGS workers.

'Lalrodinga Sunday took the money from the post office locker and went to his estranged wife in a nearby village and gave her Rs.4 lakh for looking after their children,' a police official told reporters.

'Then he tried to cross the India-Myanmar border with the remaining amount before the police arrested him at the Zokhawmawi village along the border,' he added.

Police recovered Rs.9.50 lakh from Lalrodinga and the Rs.4 lakh he gave to his ex-wife.

'The postmaster has confessed to police that he planned to go to Myanmar and exchange the money (Indian currency) with Myanmar's Kyats and hide it there,' the official said.

The mountainous Mizoram has international border of 404 km with Myanmar and 318 km with Bangladesh.