Thane: CBI Probes Bank Of India Staffer In ₹1.17 Crore Fraud Case Involving Forged KYC, Digital Transactions

Mumbai: The CBI has launched a probe against a female staff officer of Bank of India’s Panchpakhadi branch in Thane, in an alleged fraud of Rs1.17 crore by manipulating customer data and siphoning funds. The accused officer has been identified as KP Kharat, employed at the branch from April 11, 2022 to May 9 this year.

Fraud Detected in Audit, Officer Suspended

Agency officials said Kharat was posted as a staff officer in the deposit section and is currently under suspension. The fraud was first detected on May 5 this year during an internal audit and transaction scrutiny, with first occurrence reported on September 21 last year. As per the FIR, a written confession was given by Kharat to the bank.

The allegations against Kharat include fraudulent activation of dormant accounts using forged KYC, unauthorised digital transactions via UPI, NEFT, RTGS, cash withdrawals, and use of forged signatures and vouchers. Use of a single mobile number was found linked to multiple unrelated customer accounts and the number was traced to Kharat’s relative and diversion of funds into the accounts of the accused, and other relatives in various banks. As per the preliminary investigation, the forged signatures and vouchers matched with the handwriting of Kharat.

As part of the modus operandi, the maker-checker system was bypassed. Makerchecker is a two-step verification system where one individual (the “maker”) initiates a transaction or change and a second, independent individual (the “checker”) reviews and approves it before it’s finalised.

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CBI Registers Cybercrime and Corruption Case

As per the FIR, fraudulent entries were also found in pay orders concerning interest amounts from term deposit customers as well as in accounts of deceased customers. A case of cybercrime and bank fraud has been registered by the CBI under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Prevention of Corruption Act and Information Technology Act.

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