Crime: Gelephu police on August 3 detained a 28-year-old woman for impersonation and forgery of documents and signatures.

Kuensel learnt that the woman had also employed four school dropouts as enumerators to conduct a health survey since July 15. The girls have visited about 100 households asking about sanitation and malaria as told by the woman.

Gelephu’s chief program officer Rinzin Namgay from the vector borne disease control programme reported the case to police. Rinzin Namgay said that two enumerators visited him to cross check the appointment letter that the woman had given them.

“They weren’t even paid a penny and the appointment letter that the woman had issued to them were without the letterhead filled with spelling errors,” he said.

Rinzin Namgay said that the letter had his designation but a wrong name through which he came to know that the documents were forged.

One of the enumerators said that the employer was her neighbour. She was employed since July 15 but she does not know where her office is located even now.

“We were told that we’re employed by someone called Pema who works in the malaria division in Gelephu hospital but we never met him,” one of the enumerators said.

The enumerators said that they were promised a monthly salary of Nu 6,000 and a daily subsistence allowance of Nu 350.

Another enumerator said that they thought they were recruited through a government agency as they were even provided an appointment letter and a name card that they had to wear while on duty.

During the survey, the enumerators said they collected the house, thram and contact numbers besides details such as the head of the family and also checked the sanitation of the house and briefed people on malaria.

The accused, from Taraythang, Sarpang is a class XII dropout, who is a mother of one.

Gelephu police is still investigating the case.

By Yeshey Dema, Gelephu