Gurugram: An official from a foreign bank’s DLF Phase-II branch (Emirates NBD Bank) has been accused of defrauding several account holders of ₹33 lakh by falsely promising higher interest rates on fixed deposits, police said on Thursday. The suspect, Suresh Chand Sharma, who has been missing since late August, is believed to have forged documents and created fake email addresses to convince customers to transfer funds into his personal account.
Emirates NBD Bank PJSC is Dubai’s government-owned bank and is one of the largest banking groups in the Middle East in terms of assets.
According to police, Sharma falsely claimed that the bank was offering an inflated interest rate of 8.95% on fixed deposits for employees. He allegedly used forged emails, purportedly from senior bank officials, to persuade clients to transfer money, promising high-interest returns.
The scam came to light on August 22 when a suspicious transaction of ₹5 lakh was flagged by the bank’s internal system. The customer, Naresh, informed bank officials that Sharma had asked him to transfer the money for a fixed deposit. Upon investigating, it was discovered that the funds had been sent to Sharma’s personal account instead of the bank’s official account.
A senior police officer said, “When questioned, Sharma could not provide a satisfactory explanation. On August 27, his banking credentials were locked, and he was suspended. Further investigation revealed forged documents on his computer that he used to mislead customers.”
Bank officials conducted an internal inquiry, uncovering that between January and August 2023, Sharma had collected over ₹33 lakh from multiple customers, transferring the money into three of his personal accounts at different banks. Following this discovery, the bank’s chief compliance officer, Royston D’Silva, filed a complaint against Sharma on August 30.
Shortly before disappearing, Sharma sent a message to colleagues, stating that he was mentally unwell and that “official things also went wrong,” hinting at personal and professional distress.
On Wednesday, the DLF Phase-II police registered a case against Sharma under sections 316(5) (criminal breach of trust by public servant or banker) and 318(4) (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The police are currently investigating the case and are recording statements from victims and bank officials.
Meanwhile, Sharma’s wife lodged a missing person’s report at the Shakarpur police station in Delhi, where the couple resides. Gurugram Police spokesperson Sandeep Kumar said, “We are actively pursuing the investigation and hope to trace the suspect soon.”
