A major bank fraud has come to light in Faridkot, Punjab. A clerk at the State Bank of India’s Sadiq branch allegedly stole crores of rupees from customer accounts, including fixed deposits and credit limits, before disappearing.
On Wednesday, panic broke out when several customers visited the branch and found their accounts emptied. Outside the bank, there were heart-wrenching scenes — elderly account holders and women were seen crying, saying their lifelong savings had vanished overnight.
The fraud came to notice when people noticed suspicious withdrawals from their accounts. Bank officials, after checking the records, confirmed that huge amounts were missing from several accounts. A clerk at the bank is suspected to be behind the scam and is currently on the run.
Victims said their fixed deposits were broken without consent, nominee names were changed, and money was transferred out. One customer, Paramjit Kaur, said her joint FD of ₹22 lakh was emptied without any knowledge. Another, Sandeep Singh, shared that four of his fixed deposits — each worth ₹4 lakh — were reduced to just ₹50,000 each.
So far, around ₹5 crore worth of fraud has been uncovered. Bank officials said they are reviewing the affected accounts and assured that customers will get their money back.
Sushant Arora, the branch’s field officer, said he had just joined recently and only came to know about the scam today when customers raised complaints. Sadiq in-charge Navdeep Bhatti said a case has been registered against Amit Dhingra, a clerk at the branch, based on four official complaints.
Police investigation is underway.
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