Kanpur SBI Fraud: Deputy Manager Suspended, 5 Staff Charge-Sheeted
A big fraud has been reported in State Bank of India in Kanpur Uttar Pradesh. As per reports, Bank employees withdrew money from customer’s account using fake KYC.
Now the investigation into the ₹14.60 lakh fraud at the State Bank of India (SBI) Personal Banking Branch (PBB) on Mall Road in Kanpur has been expanded. The fraud involved activating a dormant account using fraudulent KYC.
Charge sheets have now been issued to five officers and employees, and a forensic examination is underway to verify the officers’ handwriting as evidence. A deputy manager has already been suspended in connection with the case.
Under pressure, the accused deposited the money withdrawn on April 11 into the account. The account was later deactivated again on April 15. Several employees and officers have been implicated for withdrawing and re-depositing the money.
An anonymous letter sent to the bank’s Chief General Manager on May 1, 2025, revealed that Shiromani Yadav, a resident of 121-363 Civil Lines, Kanpur Nagar, Katra Bithoor Kala, had an SBI account (number 11022343963) opened on July 19, 2006.
The account had no mobile number registered and contained ₹14,60,500. It had been deactivated in 2022 due to inactivity. The letter stated that a deputy manager-level officer, along with other staff, reactivated the account on March 25, 2025, using fraudulent e-KYC.
Interestingly, the account had been frozen in July 2022 by the bank’s Regional Office II. To reactivate it, the scammers bypassed the bank’s Aadhaar-based biometric KYC process, which normally requires a thumbprint or a one-time password (OTP) sent to the account holder’s mobile. They reactivated the account at the PBB branch on March 25, 2025, paid ₹500 to reopen it, and also issued a cheque book — something that had never been done for this account before. The cheque book was later delivered to someone known to the fraudsters.
The first withdrawal of ₹5 lakh was made on April 2, 2025, and another ₹4.60 lakh on April 9 from the non-home branch of Vishwa Bank, Barra. An earlier withdrawal of ₹5 lakh was made on April 4 from PBB Kanpur. The Vishwa Bank branch is not under Regional Office 2, yet money was still withdrawn from there.
The investigation has now expanded further. Charge sheets have been issued to three officers and two clerks. Vigilance checks have intensified. Statements have been recorded from all staff at both the PBB Mall Road branch and the Barra Vishwa Bank branch. Payment checks, deposit vouchers, and KYC documents have been seized, and CCTV footage is being reviewed as part of the investigation.
More details will be provided soon.
