Account holders of the Leelapur branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) in Pratapgarh have taken a drastic step in demanding the return of their funds. This action comes in response to the suspension of a former manager who was accused of embezzling millions from the SBI Lilapur branch. Reports of fraudulent activity in the savings account of a retired police officer further escalated the situation. Click here to read about SBI Lilapur Fraud Case.
Fraudulent Activity and Withdrawals
Dinesh Kumar, a resident of Dhaniapur Ghaurora in Leelapur, had opened an account in Lucknow due to his posting in the police department. However, he conducted most of his transactions through the Leelapur branch. On March 20th, it was discovered that two lakh rupees had been transferred from his savings account to another account. Dinesh had filled out withdrawal forms at the Leelapur branch but had to return home due to overcrowding. The fraudulent transfer was only revealed when he printed his passbook at the main Pratapgarh branch.
Transfer of Funds and Frustration
Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the funds of the account holders had been transferred to Prakash Construction. This transfer coincided with the suspension of the former manager, Jaynath. The acting branch manager, Raj Mehta, explained that this transfer occurred on the day Jaynath was suspended. However, the account holders, including Vijay Pathak, Narendra Tiwari, Hanuman Prasad Tiwari, Dinesh Pandey, Umashankar Pandey, Mithilesh Kumar, Purnendu Kumar, Kamlesh Kumar, Sohel Ahmad, Abdul Mohied, Mo. Ashfaq, and Babulal, were frustrated with the delay in reimbursement. Click here to read about SBI Lilapur Fraud Case.
Hunger Strike for Resolution
In response to the mishandling of their accounts and the delay in reimbursement, sixteen account holders initiated a hunger strike at the Leelapur SBI branch. They submitted a written complaint to the acting manager, Raj Mehta, detailing the mishandling of their accounts and demanding the return of their money. This hunger strike is a collective effort by all account holders to bring attention to their grievances and seek a resolution.
The account holders hope that their protest will attract the attention of the bank authorities and expedite the process of reimbursing their funds. The situation at the Leelapur branch of the SBI remains tense as the hunger strike continues.
