Lucknow: The CBI has arrested a Punjab National Bank (PNB) employee and her alleged accomplice in connection with a Rs 10.24-crore fraud involving unauthorised withdrawals from customer accounts at the bank’s Sector Pi branch in Greater Noida.The accused, identified as Deepanshi, an office assistant at the branch, and Ashutosh Kumar Pathak, were arrested after the CBI registered a case on Oct 29 based on a complaint lodged by PNB’s Noida circle office. Pathak was brought from Pune on transit remand for questioning.The fraud came to light in Sept when a customer noticed three unauthorised transactions while updating her passbook. A subsequent review by branch officials revealed missing vouchers linked to the disputed transactions, prompting an internal inquiry.
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According to the complaint filed by chief manager Ajay Pandey, Deepanshi allegedly carried out unauthorised debit transactions by misusing the banking credentials of branch officials and destroying records. Investigators suspect funds were withdrawn from multiple accounts and routed through several beneficiary accounts before being transferred to accounts linked to Pathak.PNB’s preliminary inquiry also found suspected manipulation of fixed deposits and alteration or deactivation of mobile transaction alerts, which delayed detection by customers. The bank said credentials of six officials were used in suspicious transactions despite Deepanshi not being authorised to execute them independently.So far, unauthorised debits worth Rs 10.24 crore have been identified. The CBI said the investigation is continuing and the fraud amount could rise after detailed account reconciliation.
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