New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) Several customers of Punjab National Bank (PNB) have alleged that large sums of money were withdrawn from their accounts without authorisation at the bank's Pi-1 branch in Greater Noida, prompting complaints to the police and raising concerns over alleged irregularities at the branch.
According to the customers, funds worth crores of rupees have allegedly gone missing from their accounts. They further claimed that after the issue came to light, the bank replaced the entire staff at the branch and assured affected customers that efforts were underway to resolve the matter.
One account holder, Sonu, said nearly Rs 90 lakh was missing from his account. He claimed that while bank officials had provided an explanation for the disappearance of funds, they had also assured him that the money would be restored.
Another customer, Rahul, said his mother maintained an account at the branch and that around Rs 51 lakh had allegedly been withdrawn without authorisation.
He added that the account was not linked to a mobile number, which prevented the family from receiving timely alerts about the transactions.
Another customer, Sonu Sagar, alleged that his father's account previously held around Rs 88 lakh, but a recent account statement showed a balance of only about Rs 1,290.
He claimed that the suspected embezzlement was not recent and had been continuing for several years.
According to Sagar, multiple withdrawals, including transactions of Rs 25 lakh, Rs 21 lakh, Rs 20 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, were made from his father's account on June 6, 2025, along with several other transactions.
Affected customers have lodged complaints with the police regarding the alleged fraud. In one complaint, an account holder said that after discovering discrepancies in the account, he approached the bank but was asked to return after a day or two.
When he revisited the branch, he allegedly found that senior officials were unavailable and normal banking operations had been disrupted.
The complainant further alleged that branch manager Nisha Tirkey informed customers on October 26 that the entire branch staff had been suspended.
Punjab National Bank has not yet issued an official statement regarding the allegations. Authorities are expected to investigate the complaints and ascertain the extent of the alleged fraud.
--IANS
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