Follow us on Google News
The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a bank employee and a private individual in connection with an alleged ₹10.24 crore fraud at a Punjab National Bank branch in Greater Noida. The arrests follow allegations that unauthorized debit transactions were systematically executed across multiple customer accounts to siphon off substantial balances. Investigators stated that the staff member acted in connivance with the private person and several unidentified associates to execute the fraudulent fund transfers.
FIR Details Fraud Scheme at Greater Noida Branch
The arrested individuals have been identified as Deepanshi, who was employed as an Office Assistant and Sub Staff member at the PNB Pi branch in Greater Noida, and Ashutosh Kumar Pathak, a private citizen. The federal agency formally registered a First Information Report on October 29, 2026, acting upon an official complaint that flagged suspicious withdrawals.
According to preliminary findings, the employee allegedly abused her institutional positioning and system credentials to clear unauthorized debit operations against legitimate customer balances. Substantial funds were subsequently redirected into various secondary accounts. Investigators are currently reviewing the movement of these funds, assessing whether complex multi-layered routing was deployed to obscure the ultimate trail of withdrawals.
Transit Remand Granted by Pune Court
Following the arrests, Pathak was presented before the Special Court for CBI Cases in Pune, Maharashtra. The special judicial forum approved the agency’s request for a transit remand, clearing the path for investigators to transport him into custody for rigorous examination alongside relevant documentation.
Simultaneously, forensic teams are analyzing internal transaction logs, digital data footprints, ledger sheets, and banking documentation retrieved from the branch premises. Investigators are scrutinizing the manner in which internal validation controls were bypassed, while assessing whether other branch personnel or outside conspirators facilitated the improper entries.
Probe Focuses on Unidentified Conspirators and Fund Recovery
The investigating agency confirmed that extensive operational work is underway to track down the network named in the initial complaint. High priority has been assigned to mapping the full sequence of electronic transfers, freezing receiving accounts, and identifying the end beneficiaries who absorbed the siphoned capital.
While the incident has prompted heightened scrutiny regarding the adequacy of branch-level security measures and monitoring safeguards over customer funds, the agency noted that all allegations remain subject to ongoing evidentiary gathering. The definitive scope of criminal liability will be determined through judicial proceedings before the competent court.
