Balrampur Bank Fraud: Two Bank Managers and Three Others Arrested for withdrawing money from SHG Account
Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh: In a shocking fraud case, five people, including two bank managers, have been arrested for illegally withdrawing ₹1.35 lakh from a self-help group’s bank account. The accused reportedly used a fake cheque to withdraw the money meant for the group’s development. After a detailed investigation, the police registered an FIR and took swift action.
How the fraud happened
According to the police, the scam was uncovered when Seema Devi, a member of the Sangam Self-Help Group of Gram Panchayat Banjaria Hussain, filed a complaint at the Rehra Bazar Police Station on April 27. She explained that their group had received ₹1.10 lakh from the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission (UP SRLM) as a grant.
With the interest added, the group’s bank account had a balance of ₹1,36,025. However, on February 14, the accused—Ram Babu Gupta and Sushil Tiwari—allegedly issued a fraudulent cheque and withdrew ₹1.35 lakh without the group’s permission.
Who were arrested?
After investigating the complaint, the police arrested five people connected to the fraud:
- Assistant Manager Atin Saxena, resident of Vijayant Khand, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow
- Assistant Branch Manager Prakash Saurabh Pal, resident of Shyan Nagar, Kanpur
- Sushil Tiwari alias Durgadutt Tiwari, resident of Rehra Bazar
- Ram Babu Gupta alias Guddu, resident of Adhinpur, Rehra Bazar
- Rinku Sharma alias Kaushal Kumar, resident of Rehra Bazar
Police said that Ram Babu and Sushil Tiwari were arrested from the local bus stand, while the three others, including the bank managers, were caught at Indian Bank’s Rehra Bazar branch.
Police statement
Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikas Kumar confirmed the arrests on Wednesday. He stated that the bank employees colluded with local people to cheat the self-help group by misusing the cheque system. The stolen money was part of a government grant aimed at supporting women’s livelihood activities in the village.
The police have registered a case under relevant sections and are continuing their investigation to trace the full chain of fraud. Authorities assured that strict action will be taken against anyone involved in misusing public welfare funds.
