Footage shows how PNB employee stole crores from customer accounts
What's the story
A Punjab National Bank (PNB) office assistant, Deepanshi Sharma, has been accused of embezzling money from customers at the bank's Sector Pi-1 branch in Greater Noida. The fraud is now being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). CCTV footage captured Sharma accessing her colleagues' workstations when they were away and allegedly using their login credentials to change customer details and transfer money without authorization.
Fraud details
Sharma misused credentials of 6 officials
Sharma, who has been with PNB since 2021, is accused of misusing the credentials of six officials.
These include branch manager Nisha Tirkey, senior customer service associate Sandeep Prakash Sharma, and customer service associates Meenakshi and Satish Kumar, and Shailendra Kumar and Lovely Jain.
The bank reviewed a month's worth of CCTV footage, which allegedly showed Sharma sitting at empty desks and using their computers before leaving within seconds.
Transaction irregularities
Fraud extended to fixed deposits as well
The alleged fraud wasn't limited to savings accounts. It also involved adding account holder Ashutosh Kumar Pathak and others as joint holders to several fixed deposits, changing the details for receiving proceeds, and closing deposits prematurely.
Transaction vouchers were allegedly destroyed to cover up these transfers.
The bank has reportedly provided details of 49 fixed deposits in its complaint against Sharma.
Investigation initiation
Irregularities detected on September 16
The irregularities were first detected on September 16, when a customer named Sangeeta found three unauthorized transactions in her passbook.
Despite Sharma's claims that they were legitimate, the matter was escalated to branch management.
She later claimed that Sangeeta had agreed over the phone with her husband to transfer money to Pathak for a property investment.
However, the bank couldn't find corresponding vouchers, leading to further investigation.
Fraud trail
Stolen money funneled through multiple accounts
The initial inquiry suggests a large chunk of the stolen money was funneled through at least six accounts in Jharkhand, Goa, and Maharashtra before reaching Pathak's account.
Other beneficiaries named in the complaint include Pradeep Kumar, Membangti Devi, Priyanka Kumari, Shanti Devi, Shalini, and Saroj Devi.
The role of each is yet to be established, but Sharma has claimed that Pathak had previously cheated her father out of ₹15-20 lakh.
Employee involvement
Investigators believe Sharma didn't act alone
While the CCTV footage has shed light on Sharma's modus operandi, it remains unclear if other bank employees were involved.
Investigators believe it's unlikely that Sharma acted alone.
The CBI will have to determine whether credentials were accessed without permission, shared, or used with someone else's involvement, using core banking records, login histories, and user activity logs.
Bank's statement
Customers have alleged nearly ₹35 crore is missing
In a statement issued on October 30, PNB said it was examining the matter on priority and cooperating with the authorities.
The bank has returned ₹43 lakh to three account holders and assured customers that all genuine claims would be honored.
However, customers have alleged that nearly ₹35 crore is missing from their accounts. Many are farmers who deposited compensation received for land acquired for the Noida International Airport project.