Two former employees of Yes Bank’s Adyar branch in Chennai, S Karthick (32) of Tirupathur and S Senthil Kumar (41) of Mogappair, were arrested by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) for their involvement in a massive Rs7.2 crore fraud. The two men, who were working at the bank, colluded with the branch manager, Patrick Hopman, and used forged cheques to steal money from the account of an elderly couple.
Hopman, the main accused in the case, is currently absconding and is believed to have fled abroad. Robert, Hopman’s driver, was arrested in May for his role in the scheme. According to the Bank Fraud Investigation Wing, Karthick and Senthil Kumar helped Hopman open multiple bank accounts, into which they transferred Rs35 lakh of the stolen money.
The scam was carried out using various accounts, with Rs3.7 crore swindled through accounts linked to Robert, while the remainder was funneled through the accounts of Hopman’s associates. The fraudulent activities were discovered when the victims, M Rajendran and his wife, returned from a trip abroad in 2021 and found that a substantial amount of money was missing from their accounts.
A Look Out Circular and Red Corner notice have been issued for Hopman, as the police continue their investigation into the matter.
