/
PNB Greater Noida fraud: FIR over missing deposits, bank settles Rs 43 lakh in claims
Punjab National Bank has settled three claims worth Rs 43 lakh and says it will honour all genuine claims after depositors at its Greater Noida branch alleged missing deposits. An FIR is filed; the complaint lists Rs 11.24 crore, locals estimate Rs 35 crore. Staff are suspended.
S
3 min
Punjab National Bank says it has settled three customer claims worth Rs 43 lakh and that all genuine claims will be honoured, after depositors at its Greater Noida branch alleged that money had gone missing from their fixed deposit and savings accounts. Police have registered a first information report for criminal breach of trust. The complaint lists losses of more than Rs 11.24 crore for 21 people, while local account holders estimate the total at about Rs 35 crore. Several employees, including the branch manager, have been suspended.
What the bank says
PNB said that, as of 28 October, it had settled three claims totalling Rs 43 lakh, and that it is examining the other complaints on priority and verifying the facts. It said it takes a zero-tolerance approach to fraud, will act against those found responsible, and is strengthening its internal controls and monitoring mechanisms. The bank said it is cooperating with the authorities. One report notes that the Rs 35 crore figure is an allegation and has not been established as the final loss.
The FIR
The FIR was registered against unidentified bank employees under Section 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which covers criminal breach of trust. It was filed at the Beta-2 police station in Greater Noida on a complaint by a customer, Shrichand, and other account holders. The complaint lists 21 people who together report losses above Rs 11.24 crore, and two of them each allege that more than Rs 1 crore is missing. Reports cite different figures for the number of complainants and the total amount.
| Depositor | Allegation |
|---|---|
| Shrichand | Rs 1.16 crore missing from a fixed deposit |
| Bijendra Singh | Savings account of about Rs 87 to 88 lakh now shows Rs 1 lakh |
| Haneep Khan | Nearly Rs 39 lakh missing |
| Zakir | Rs 9.5 lakh missing with no transaction alert |
Some customers say their fixed deposits were closed before maturity and the proceeds were moved to other accounts without their consent, and that they received no transaction alerts. Some families had deposited compensation they received for land acquired for infrastructure projects. Some account holders say that their registered mobile numbers and email addresses were changed, which they suspect enabled the unauthorised transactions. Local account holders put the total at about Rs 35 crore, including savings accounts, fixed deposits and mutual fund investments.
Customers noticed discrepancies in their balances and found that funds had been transferred without their knowledge. They then went to the police.
Investigators are examining the suspect transactions and the possible involvement of bank employees. Reports say funds went to multiple accounts in Goa, Mumbai and Jharkhand, and that some accounts have been frozen. The bank is checking whether internal login credentials were misused and whether outsiders were involved. Five employees, including the branch manager, were suspended, according to one report, while others say several employees.
Allegations that valuables are missing from bank lockers have also surfaced, but these require separate verification, and the reports found do not give details.
The reports found do not name any accused, and they do not say whether anyone has been arrested. They do not give the number of customers affected, or the final amount. The branch is described in one report as being in the Aichhar area of Greater Noida. The bank has not said how the transactions were carried out. Until the police and the bank's internal probe report, the figures remain allegations, and the gap between the Rs 11.24 crore in the complaint and the Rs 35 crore estimated locally is unexplained.
S
3 min
What did you think?
