Former rly man went ‘missing’ to claim pension

The Central Bureau of investigation (CBI) arrested a former railway official and his wife in Chennai for allegedly cheating his employer by falsely claiming that he was missing to procure pension for his family. HT Correspondent reports.

The Central Bureau of investigation (CBI) on Tuesday arrested a former railway official and his wife in Chennai for allegedly cheating his employer by falsely claiming that he was missing to procure pension for his family.

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The railway authorities had in 1983 sacked the former railway officer, Herman Castor, for allegedly absenting himself from work on a prolonged basis, after which the latter got employed with a private company in Kuwait.

His wife (whose name was not disclosed by the agency), though, said a CBI investigator: “Despite knowing that her husband was in Kuwait went ahead and lodged a missing person’s complaint with the police.”

“She even managed to procure a non-traceable certificate from the police that she later showed to the railway authorities,” he said.

On the basis the certificate and also on the basis of a Central Administrative Tribunal order, she got sanctioned terminal benefits of her husband and family pension in her favour from Railways, according to the investigating agency.

Later, however, the CBI probe found out, her husband came back to India after Kuwait was invaded by the Iraqi army in 1990, the officer said. Having come back, he joined his wife at their Chennai family home.

His wife was drawing pension of Rs 4,370 per month based on the misrepresentation that her husband is missing, according to the CBI. On the basis of a written complaint from by Southern Railways, the officials of CBI’s anti corruption branch registered a case and arrested both husband and wife.