News
Woman who drew dead woman’s pension for five years re-remanded
Kandy Additional Magistrate Sesiri Herath re-remanded a woman who is alleged to have drawn a dead woman’s pension from the Mulgampola Post Office for nearly five years. In this case the Divisional Secretary of Kandy Gravets had lodged a complaint that monies amounting to five hundred and eight thousand three hundred and seventy six rupees had been illegally withdrawn by a person from a dead woman’s pension.
The accused had been absconding for nearly two years before the Special Crimes Investigation Bureau was able to take her into custody. She was initially remanded pending an identification parade.
Subsequent to the complaint, the suspect Pusphalatha Tennakoon (alias Kumarihamy) was investigated and subsequently taken into custody by Inspector Ranjith Samarakoon OIC of the Special Crimes Investigation Bureau and a team of officers. At an identification parade held on Friday morning at the Kandy Additional Magistrate’s Court, the woman was identified by postal officers.
The woman is alleged to have political connections. Senior Attorney at Law Nanda Senanayake, assisted by Attorney at Law Pradeep, appearing for the accused informed Court that the suspect was prepared to repay the total amount and sought bail.
The defence also informed Court the suspect was suffering from asthma and asked that she be granted bail on compassionate grounds.
Attorney Senanayake added that though the present case came under the Public Property Act, under section 416, the Magistrate had the power to consider bail.
However, the Additional Magistrate said Court was not willing to accept payment, unless the Divisional Secretary informed Court he was prepared to accept the cash. He also directed the prison authorities to submit a medical report from the Prison Medical Officer. He also ordered police to file plaint.
Court also wanted to know how the suspect was prepared to plead. In this case a woman who was drawing her pension at the Hindagala Post Office had died. Following her death, the Post Master at Hindagala is said to have sent the pension and the relevant pension papers back to the postal authorities in Kandy.
The postal authorities in Kandy claim to have sent the papers back to the Pensions Office at the Kandy Divisional Secretariat, but the papers had been sent to the Mulgampola post office for payment though the pensioner had died. The suspect Kumarihamy had continued to withdraw the pension for a period of five years
Subsequently a new Post Mistress took office at the Mulgampola Post Office. On pension day the suspect had arrived without an identity card. The Post Mistress had telephoned the Divisional Superintendent who told her to issue the pension after having ascertained her identity. An aide at the post office signed as witness since the suspect had been coming to the post office over the years.
However the Post Mistress of the Mulgampola Post Office had become suspicious when the suspect did not arrive to withdraw her pension over the next two months and complained to her superiors. Subsequently police investigations were initiated, and it took two to three years before the suspect was apprehended.
Insepctor Ranjith Samarakoon, sub-insepctor Rohitha and Sergeant Vasantha appeared for the prosecution.