Staff REPORTER
Itanagar, May 23: In a significant development in a long-pending corruption case, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Itanagar, has secured the conviction of a former Sub Postmaster of Jang Sub Post Office in Tawang district for misappropriation of public funds amounting to over Rs 8.25 lakh.
According to ACB Superintendent of Police (SP) Mridul, the case traces back to an FIR lodged by Kusheshwar Pandit, Assistant Superintendent of Post Office, West Division Itanagar, alleging misappropriation of public money in the closing cash balance of Jang Sub Post Office amounting to Rs 8,25,803.15 as on April 12, 2011.
The FIR was initially received by the Officer-in-Charge of Jang Police Station. Since the matter involved offences under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, the case was forwarded through the SP, Tawang, to the then Special Investigation Cell (SIC), Itanagar, which has now been renamed as the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
Subsequently, the SIC registered the case vide SIC(VIG) PS Case No. 01/12 under Section 409 of the Indian Penal Code read with Sections 13(1)(c) and 13(2) of the PC Act, 1988, and initiated a detailed investigation into the alleged embezzlement.
The ACB SP told media persons on Saturday that the Investigating Officer pursued the case with sincerity and dedication, leading to the successful prosecution of the accused, identified as Partho Pratim Baruah. During the period of the misappropriation, Baruah was serving as the Sub Postmaster of Jang Sub Post Office.
After completion of the trial, the court of the Special Judge under the Prevention of Corruption Act, West Sessions Division, Yupia, Dr Hirendra Kashyap, pronounced the conviction judgment on May 14, 2026. The court sentenced the accused to five years of rigorous imprisonment, SP Mridul said.