Rs 14-crore SBI fraud: Accused arrested in Vrindavan; taken into police remand for questioning

In the Rs 14-crore fraud involving approximately 180 customers of the State Bank of India (SBI), Sadiq branch, the Faridkot police produced the main accused, Amit Dhingra, before a duty magistrate today — a day after his arrest from Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.

Police had launched an intensive investigation and state-wide search for the absconding clerk, fearing he might flee the country. On July 21, a case under Sections 318(4), 316(2) and 344 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered after multiple complaints surfaced regarding irregularities in fixed deposits and Kisan Credit Limit (KCC) accounts. The FIR was lodged on the complaint of the bank’s deputy manager, Shashank Shekhar Arora, and a Look-Out Circular (LOC) was issued against Dhingra the same day.

Dhingra had been working as a clerk at the SBI Sadiq branch for nearly 15 years, during which he allegedly developed personal relationships with customers and exploited their trust to manipulate account details, prematurely close fixed deposits and divert funds. So far, around 186 formal complaints have been filed, with preliminary estimates placing the fraud amount at over Rs 14 crore.

On July 24, police arrested Rupinder Kaur, Dhingra’s wife and an LIC employee, after discovering suspicious transactions worth Rs 2.30 crore in her bank accounts. She was taken into custody while allegedly attempting to flee abroad.

After sustained efforts, Dhingra was finally tracked down to Vrindavan in Mathura and arrested on July 30. During the arrest, he allegedly threatened self-harm, but was safely apprehended with the assistance of local police. He is in police remand and more disclosures are expected during interrogation, according to Dr Pragya Jain, SSP, Faridkot.

The arrest has brought relief to many affected families. Jaswinder Singh, a resident of Kauni village, stated that over Rs 1 crore was siphoned from the accounts of his family members. “We were even given fake fixed deposit slips worth Rs 26 lakh. I felt hopeless until his arrest gave me hope that our money might be recovered,” he said.

Boota Singh, another victim from the same village, reported the loss of Rs 4.70 lakh from his own account and nearly Rs 7 lakh from his mother Gurmej Kaur’s account.

Meanwhile, SBI has constituted a special internal investigation team led by AGM Praveen Soni, tasked with verifying affected accounts and facilitating the recovery of customer funds. Authorities anticipate that more revelations will emerge as the investigation progresses.