Workers at a post office in Ireland were left 'in shock' after two men brought a dead body into the shop in an attempt to collect his pension.
The 'bizarre and upsetting' incident took place in Carlow in south-east Ireland on Friday, January 21, with eyewitnesses claiming that the two men had brought the body a man into the shop and propped it up at the counter in an attempt to claim his pension payment.
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When they were unsuccessful, they reportedly 'dropped' the body inside the shop before fleeing the scene. Staff in the post office contacted the emergency services, who arrive to collect the body, which has been taken to a local hospital for a post mortem.
One woman who lives near the post office told the Irish Independent that her 12-year-old daughter witnessed the incident, saying, 'She said the man looked unwell as his feet were dragging [across] the ground... It’s a small shop and you’re only allowed three at a time with social distancing. People were in shock as they thought he was... having a heart attack.'
Neighbours of the elderly man, who has not been publicly identified but is believed to be known to the two men, said they were in 'total shock' at hearing the news, with one saying, 'He was a lovely man, a lovely neighbour and we’re all very upset.'
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'We don’t want to speculate about what happened, but all I can say is it’s a sad night and a shock to the system,' another local resident said.
Speaking following the news, Carlow Councillor Fergal Byrne said:
The whole town is in shock. The man who passed away was a nice man by all accounts and someone who caused no offence to anyone.
The staff in the shop are very shook up from it. I’d like to offer my sympathies to the man’s family also. It’s a bizarre and upsetting situation.
The Gardaí have said they are investigating the circumstances of the man's death, with a nearby house sealed off in connection, but no arrests have been made.
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RTÉ reports that shortly before the incident, a man had phoned the post office to ask to collect a pension on behalf of an elderly man, but had been told by staff that the pensioner had to be present.
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Topics: Ireland