Two Arrested After Body Brought To Post Office 'In Bid To Claim Pension'

Irish police have arrested two men after the body of an elderly man was brought to a post office and propped up in Co Carlow.

Peadar Doyle, 66, was brought to a post office on the Staplestown Road last Friday by two men. According to reports, his body was propped up before the men fled.

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It has been alleged that an attempt was made by the men to claim his pension.

It was later discovered that the man had died, with the exact cause of his death yet to be determined.

However, it is believed that foul play has been ruled out.

Locals in Carlow last week spoke of their shock at the incident, which has generated significant attention across Ireland and beyond.

Gardai confirmed that two men, aged in their 30s, were arrested in Carlow on Wednesday morning.

The men are being detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act and can be questioned for up to 24 hours.

A Garda spokesperson said: “The investigation is ongoing and no further information is available at this time.”

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At the time of the incident, Carlow mayor Ken Murnane said the local community has been left shocked by the reports.

He told PA news agency: “The whole town is in shock that anyone could actually think of doing something like that, it’s unbelievable.

“It’s just mind-boggling that anyone could happen to do something like that, it beggars belief. It’s like a Hitchcock movie.”

Local Fine Gael Cllr Fergal Browne told The Irish Times that the incident was 'shocking and very upsetting for everyone locally'.

He spoke about Mr Doyle saying he was a 'decent guy, very well regarded and liked and caused no offence to anybody,' adding: "You couldn’t make up what happened. It’s unreal. You are looking at it as a rational person, but whoever did this were not rational.”

It's been previously reported that a man entered the post office at around 11:30am trying to collect the weekly pension of another individual. He was told that the recipient of the pension would have to be present before leaving.

Some time later, it's said that two men - accompanied by a third in his 60s - arrived with two of them trying to get the third man's pension.

Reports suggest that the third man appeared to be propped up and a woman who became suspicious alerted staff.