New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a Punjab National Bank (PNB) office assistant and a private individual in connection with an alleged fraud involving unauthorised withdrawals of ₹10.24 crore from customer accounts at the bank’s Sector Pi branch in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
The arrests of the staff, namely Ms Deepanshi, an office assistant and Ashutosh Kumar Pathak (a private person) and an unknown person were made on Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation into the high-value banking fraud.
According to a CBI press release, the agency arrested the office assistant/sub-staff member posted at the PNB Sector Pi branch and a private person allegedly involved in the conspiracy.
The case was registered by the CBI on October 29, 2026, following a complaint alleging that funds were siphoned off through unauthorised debit transactions carried out from multiple customer accounts.
The agency alleged that the bank employee acted in connivance with the private individual and other unidentified persons. The fraud first came to light after a customer reported suspicious debit transactions from her account to bank authorities.
An internal inquiry by PNB reportedly revealed unauthorised debits amounting to ₹10.24 crore from various savings and fixed deposit accounts. The bank has stated that a reconciliation exercise is underway to ascertain the exact extent of the loss.
Earlier, the CBI had registered an FIR against the accused under provisions related to criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, cheating, falsification of accounts, and other offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Prevention of Corruption Act and Information Technology Act.
The agency’s preliminary findings suggested misuse of banking credentials, manipulation of customer account details, alteration of fixed deposit records and diversion of customer funds through beneficiary accounts.
Reports indicate that the accused office assistant allegedly misused login credentials of other bank officials to carry out unauthorised transactions and route funds through multiple accounts.
The private individual arrested in the case has been identified as a key beneficiary of the alleged fraud. The CBI said it has obtained transit remand for the private accused from the Special Court for CBI Cases in Pune, Maharashtra.
Further investigation is underway to identify the involvement of other persons and trace the flow of funds.
(IANS)
