Eire - Postman 'may have stolen thousands'

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Postman 'may have stolen thousands'

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A POSTAL employee has been arrested by the Garda Fraud Squad amid fears he stole tens of thousands of euro worth of social welfare and business cheques.

The arrest came as part of a lengthy investigation involving both gardai and An Post's investigation branch.

The employee, who works as a postman out of a delivery centre in Dublin, has been suspended with pay and will be subject to internal disciplinary procedures.

In a statement last night An Post confirmed: "Charges are pending against a postal operative recently arrested in Dublin."

The man has worked as a postman in a large postal district in the capital for the past two years.

An Post's investigation branch, which includes a garda and a number of civilian investigators, launched an inquiry after suspicions were raised about the activities of the employee.

The internal investigation team is understood to have carried out surveillance on the postal worker over a prolonged period before uncovering evidence that he was stealing mail for fraudulent purposes.

"This was not just social welfare cheques, but also business cheques as well," an informed source said.

"This individual would have been carefully monitored for a time before any arrest was made."

Staff at the delivery centre where the man worked were shocked by the arrest.

Sources said the man was detained by gardai last Thursday and later released without charge.

A file is to be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions and the investigation is ongoing.

It is not yet clear whether the postal worker was working alone or was part of a wider criminal operation.

An Post's investigation branch is mainly tasked to deal with crime prevention measures. However, it also investigates any alleged misbehaviour by staff.

- Shane Phelan Investigative Correspondent