Axis Bank Manager Accused of Cheating Businessman of Rs.55 Lakh in Jabalpur

Jabalpur: A private bank’s assistant manager in Jabalpur has been accused of cheating a businessman by promising him high returns on his investment. The businessman, after trying for weeks to get his money back, filed a complaint with the Gorakhpur police. A case of fraud has now been registered against the bank officer, who is currently missing.

The accused, Ankit Kumar Patel, was working as an assistant manager at Axis Bank’s Katanga branch. The complainant, Vinod Kumar Savita, is a 51-year-old businessman who runs two firms—Vinod & Associates and Porus Group Farmland. Both of his companies have bank accounts in the same branch.

According to Vinod, he often visited the bank for work and became friendly with Ankit, who used to help him with banking tasks. Over time, Ankit began sharing details about the bank’s internal issues. One day, he told Vinod that many customer accounts were turning into NPAs (Non-Performing Assets), which could harm the bank’s image. He claimed that if someone helped by depositing money in these accounts, the bank would return the money with one percent extra interest and offer other benefits.

Trusting Ankit’s words, Vinod deposited a total of ₹55 lakh into various bank accounts as suggested by Ankit. This money was transferred between December 2024 and March 2025 from both of his firms—₹27.81 lakh from Vinod & Associates and ₹27.31 lakh from Porus Group Farmland. The money was sent to accounts in the names of different individuals such as Devesh, Pinky Mishra, Anil Lal & Company, Amit Kumar Soni, Pinky Mehra, Harshita Rai, Poonam Soni, and a few others.

Ankit had told Vinod that the money would be returned at the end of the financial year. But when Vinod contacted him in April 2025, Ankit said the payment was being processed. Later, he said he was unwell and would return the money after recovering. After that, he stopped answering calls, and eventually, his phone was switched off.

Vinod then went to the police and filed a complaint. After reviewing the documents and his statement, the Gorakhpur police registered an FIR for fraud against Ankit Kumar Patel. The police are now searching for him.

Investigators believe that the money may have been misused or kept by the accused instead of being used for the purpose promised. The police are also looking into the accounts where the money was sent.