Cheque Fraud Case in PNB Halsi Road Branch, Cheque stolen from Kanpur and Money Withdrawn in Jammu

A shocking case of cheque fraud has come to light at Punjab National Bank’s Halsi Road branch. A businessman from Kanpur, Pankaj Gupta, tried to deposit ₹1 lakh into his son’s bank account, but the money was stolen and ended up in someone else’s account in Jammu.

What Happened?

On July 4, Pankaj Gupta, who runs a business called Sharad Iron Store in Hatia Loha Bazar, deposited a cheque in PNB’s Halsi Road branch. The cheque was meant to transfer ₹1 lakh to his son Paras Gupta’s account through NEFT (National Electronic Funds Transfer).

However, Paras never received the money. Instead, Pankaj got a mobile alert that ₹1 lakh was credited to a person named Mohit Arora, in a Central Bank branch in Jammu City.

How the Fraud Was Detected

Surprised by the alert, Pankaj immediately visited the PNB branch to inquire. Bank manager Faiz Ahmed confirmed the suspicious transaction and contacted Central Bank to stop the payment and the amount was put on hold.

Paras Gupta informed local traders and requested their support. The traders, led by Iron Traders’ Committee President Atul Dwivedi, arrived at the bank and demanded strict action. They warned the bank manager to take the issue seriously otherwise FIR will be filed.

CCTV Reveals Cheque Theft Inside Bank

The police were called, and they examined the CCTV footage of the branch. The video clearly showed a suspicious person removing a cheque from the bank’s cheque deposit box. The footage helped confirm that the cheque had been stolen within the bank premises. Watch video below 👇

Cheque Fraud Case in PNB Halsi Road Branch in Kanpur: A man stole Cheque from Kanpur and withdrew money in Jammu. In the video, a man can be seen clearly stealing cheque from Punjab National Bank @pnbindia branch in Uttar Pradesh. Public Sector Banks have removed security guards… pic.twitter.com/DspRntTy4A

— Hellobanker (@Hellobanker_in) July 6, 2025

The bank manager said that a complaint has already been emailed to the Circle Head Office, and a police report will be registered soon after getting approval.

Key Details from the Stolen Cheque

Paras Gupta said he had deposited the cheque in the branch’s cheque basket, not in a proper deposit machine. The cheque was suspiciously altered to transfer the money to Mohit Arora’s account. The details like account number, IFSC code, and even two mobile numbers written on the back of the cheque were not his.

Even the signature looked fake. His father’s name “Pankaj” was signed, but using a different pen. There was no official bank stamp on the cheque either, which raised further doubts.

Bank’s Negligence Under Question

According to banking rules, cheques should always be dropped in a secure cheque deposit machine, not a basket. But PNB Halsi Road branch allowed cheques to be collected in a simple basket, which made it easy for someone to steal.

When traders pointed out that the cheque didn’t have the official stamp, the manager said the staff may have forgotten to stamp it. The traders, however, noted that other cheques were stamped, raising suspicion that this fraud may have happened due to negligence or internal involvement.

Traders Demand Strict Action

The local iron traders’ group is now demanding strict action against those responsible. They believe that if the bank had followed basic security steps, the cheque could not have been stolen. They are urging PNB to take responsibility for the lapse and ensure justice.

More details will be released soon.