Greater Noida fraud case: PNB settles three claims worth ₹43 lakh; warns of stern action
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Punjab National Bank (PNB) has said that stern action will be taken against those found responsible for alleged financial irregularities involving customer savings and fixed deposit accounts at its Greater Noida branch. The public sector lender said the matter is being examined on priority, with the bank verifying the facts, assessing the extent of the reported discrepancies and extending full cooperation to the authorities concerned.
In a statement issued on Thursday, PNB said three claims amounting to ₹43 lakh had been settled as of Thursday. The bank also assured customers that all genuine claims would be honoured.
“The matter is being examined on priority and the Bank is extending full cooperation to the authorities concerned and is taking necessary steps to verify the facts, assess the extent of the reported discrepancies and address the concerns of affected customers,” PNB said.
“Moreover, three claims amounting to ₹43 lakh had been settled as of yesterday. The Bank assures its customers that all genuine claims will be honoured,” it said.
Customers allege ₹35 crore missing
The complaints relate to alleged discrepancies in customer savings bank and fixed deposit accounts at the Greater Noida branch. Several account holders have alleged that nearly ₹35 crore was missing from their accounts, with some claiming that they had neither authorised the transactions nor received alerts about them.
According to reports, around 25 customers have approached the police, following which an FIR was registered against employees of the bank's Sector PI-1 branch on charges of criminal breach of trust. Police have also said that several bank employees, including the branch manager, have been suspended. The case has been registered at the Beta-2 police station.
Customers reportedly began checking their account balances after the bank allegedly sent messages and made calls asking them to provide four to five days' advance notice if they intended to withdraw more than ₹1 lakh.
PNB said it maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards fraud, financial irregularities and misconduct. “Stern action will be taken against those found responsible, in accordance with applicable rules and procedures,” it said.
The bank added that it remains committed to safeguarding customer interests and strengthening its internal controls and monitoring mechanisms to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.