Farmers Protest and Hold Bank Officials Hostage Over Rs.60 Lakh Fraud in Prathama UP Gramin Bank
Bijnor: In a dramatic turn of events at Prathama UP Gramin Bank in Pawti village, angry farmers held the bank’s manager and cashier hostage for three hours on Wednesday after discovering that approximately ₹60 lakhs had been withdrawn fraudulently from their agricultural accounts by a bank sweeper named Sunny.
The protest was sparked when account holders learned about the unauthorized withdrawals, leading hundreds to gather at the bank under the leadership of Kailash Lamba, the State General Secretary of the Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan. The farmers demanded answers and accountability from bank officials, accusing them of negligence and potential collusion with the accused.
Victims of the fraud reported substantial losses, including ₹1 lakh withdrawn from the account of Ramkumar, ₹3.5 lakhs from Mahendra Saini, ₹2 lakhs from Komal Saini, ₹3 lakhs from Sheeshram, ₹4.5 lakhs from Kamala Devi, ₹3 lakhs from Jaipal, ₹5 lakhs from Hanif, and ₹2 lakhs from Vimal. In total, the fraudulent activities affected hundreds of account holders, with the estimated loss ranging between ₹60 to ₹70 lakhs.
Bank branch manager Deepak Pandey confirmed that Sunny, the son of Moolchand Verma, had previously been employed at the bank. He stated that regional manager Rajendra Singh is leading the investigation and assured that strict action would be taken against any employees found guilty of wrongdoing.
Despite these assurances, the farmers expressed their dissatisfaction with the bank’s response. They insisted on the immediate return of their funds and warned that if their money was not restored by October 21, they would hold a larger mahapanchayat at the district headquarters on October 22.
After a tense three-hour standoff, the farmers eventually released the bank manager and cashier following the bank’s commitment to investigate the matter further. The Haldaur police station, alerted to the situation, announced that they would investigate the complaints filed by the farmers and review CCTV footage from the bank to gather more evidence.
