In a significant crackdown on cybercrime, police have arrested a deputy manager from Punjab National Bank, marking the 20th arrest of a bank employee aiding cybercriminals since February this year. The arrest occurred on Friday as part of an investigation into a fraud case involving the theft of RS1.20 crore through a deceptive investment scheme.
According to the police, a complaint regarding the fraud was filed on June 19, 2024, alleging that the victim was lured by promises of high returns from stock market investments. Following the complaint, a case was registered at the city’s cybercrime police station.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cyber) Priyanshu Diwan reported that two suspects, Rohit Sharma from Aliganj in Etah district and Vishwas Kumar from Kaimganj in Farrukhabad district, were arrested during the investigation. It was revealed that Vishwas Kumar, the deputy manager, assisted in opening a bank account in Rohit Sharma’s name using fake address proof. Sharma then allegedly used this account to facilitate a cyber fraud involving Rs1 lakh.
So far, eight individuals have been arrested in connection with this case. Since February, bank employees from various institutions, including SBI, Kotak Mahindra, Yes Bank, RBL Bank, AU Small Finance Bank, Punjab National Bank, and ICICI Bank, have been implicated in similar schemes, allegedly providing bank accounts to cybercriminals for financial gain. In a related case, a deputy manager at ICICI Bank was arrested in September for his involvement in a cybercrime that resulted in a loss of over Rs25 lakh to the victim.
