With this, the defalcation of funds from savings accounts and savings certificates at the post office now stands at over Tk four crores 32 lakh.

The second probe body, headed by Reazul Islam, Deputy Post Master General (DPMG) of Dinajpur Postal Region and also acting DPMG of Rangpur Region, was formed at the directive of the Post Master General (PMG), Northern Region (Rajshahi Division).

The first five-member probe body formed at the directive of Post and Telecommunication Ministry detected defalcation of Tk four 4 crore eight lakh From April 4 to May 19. It was headed by Additional Director General of Post Offices Mobasserur Rahman.

Reazul Islam told this correspondent on Thursday that any fresh case will not be filed after detection of more funds. Supplements will be added to the cases filed earlier, he added.

Assistant Post Master Mir Nural Islam Munna, Ledger Operator, Ahmedul Islam Raju and Postal Operators Taslim Uddin and Liaqat Ali were charged in the cases filed earlier in connection with defalcation of over Tk four crore eight lakh.

Munna, Raju and Liaqat are in custody and Taslim Uddin is

absconding.

Accused Mir Nural Islam Munna and Ahmedul Islam Raju in their confessional statements made before a First Class Magistrate court under Section 164 earlier said that two former DPMGs of Rangpur Postal Region-- Susanta Kumar Mondal and Mahmubabr Rahman -- were involved in the scamp. The two are under suspension now.

Meanwhile commercial banks here did not respond to an order by the postal authorities in Dhaka to give statements of accounts of the accused persons and to stop payments from those.

Only Pupali Bank replied to the postal authorities' letter, saying it would neither provide any information on its clients' account not stop payments from those without court order.

Other banks did not respond to the order made during probe by the first body, sources said.

On May 2, postal authorities suspended payment against three

savings certificates worth Tk 1.5 lac owned by accused Nural Islam Munna's eldest daughter. The savings certificates were kept as mortgage with Uttara Bank against a loan of Tk two lakh taken by an influential opposition leader on 18 December 2000.

It is assumed by different quarters that the accused persons might have huge amounts of money deposited in local banks in fictitious names.

Meanwhile, a lawyers source of the accused informed this correspondent that accused are preparing to get bail in the high court as their bail prayer was rejected a number of times in the local magistrate court .

Syedpur police sources told this correspondent that they raided the house of Taslim Uddin recently at Syedpur town but could not arrest him as he showed a bail order from High Court.

But copies of the bail order are yet to reach the court concerned and the Head Post Office, sources there said.

When contacted by this correspondent, some lawyers in the town said the other accused are preparing to move High Court for bail as their bail prayers were rejected a number of times by the local Magistrate Court.

A member of the probe body said that some others accused of postal scam in some other head post offices under Rangpur Postal Region got bail from the High Court. They include one in Kurugram, two in Lalmonirhat and all the accused at Gaibandha Head Post Office.

A senior lawyer of Nilphamari bar told that the first case was filed under Section 409 and 34 and the second case under Section 409 and 467, which are bailable.