Rs 35 crore fraud alleged at PNB Greater Noida branch, customers allege FDs vanished; bank says deposits safe

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): News of an alleged financial scam at a Punjab National Bank branch in Pi-1 Sector, Greater Noida, has raised concerns among account holders. According to preliminary information, irregularities worth over ₹35 crore are suspected. As news spread, a large number of customers began visiting the branch, raising questions about their deposits. Many account holders reported that their fixed deposits and other deposits had suddenly disappeared, leaving them in a financial crisis.

Meanwhile, speaking to news agency IANS, Punjab National Bank Chief Manager Rajesh Nigam assured that everyone will get their money and the matter is being investigated.

Speaking to IANS, he said, "Whoever has money in the bank will get it. The bank is checking and everyone is getting their money."

In response to questions from people, he said, "The process is underway; everyone will receive their money." He further added that the bank is very large. No one will suffer any loss.

However, the bank manager refused to comment on the matter. He said, "I can't say anything about this. Give me some time."

To the question, “Is this just this branch or has this happened to other branches as well?” he said that this has happened only to this branch.

Meanwhile, several account holders who visited the branch spoke to IANS and explained their problems. One account holder, Amarpal, said, "I have three FDs totaling ₹80 lakh with Punjab National Bank." He alleged, "They've frozen my entire FD and are now finding out."

He said, "We even filed a complaint at the police station, but there has been no hearing. The bank is misleading us, saying it will arrive in 10-15 days. We made the FD thinking it would be safe in a government bank, but when they siphoned off the money, where is the money safe?" He said, "We demand from the state and central governments that our money be transferred to our accounts as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, a customer named Brijesh Kumar told IANS, "I had ₹1.18 crore in my bank, and yesterday when I went to withdraw money, I found out that the balance in my account was gone. It was zero."

He said, “The manager has said that we will get the money before Diwali, but we do not have any hope.”

Additionally, a female account holder named Beena told IANS, "We deposited money thinking it was a government bank, but how could we have known this would happen." She added that the bank is saying, "If you submit an application, you'll receive your money," but there's no telling when it will be available.

Currently, bank management is reassuring customers that their deposits are safe and that the situation will become clear once the investigation is complete. Account holders are awaiting the results of the investigation, hoping to get their hard-earned money back soon.