
A 47-year-old man has been arrested by the Delhi Police for allegedly targeting multiple employees of Punjab National Bank (PNB) and siphoning off more than ₹25 lakh from their bank accounts. The arrest took place on Friday when the man attempted to steal a phone from the South Campus branch. The suspect has been identified as Deepak Arora, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police Rohit Meena.
The police received a complaint from the South Campus branch manager on Thursday regarding the suspicious behavior of the man. Following this, branch managers from various PNB branches created a WhatsApp group to share information after discovering that several employees had fallen victim to monetary fraud. In some cases, the employees’ phones were stolen. The police obtained CCTV footage and were able to identify the suspect.
It was discovered that Arora had stolen an iPhone from a bank employee at the Green Park branch on Wednesday, and the CCTV footage of the incident was circulated within the WhatsApp group. As a result, when Arora attempted to steal a phone at the South Campus branch, the staff alerted the police, leading to his arrest.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Arora specifically targeted PNB employees because he knew they would have the “PNB app” installed on their phones, which was linked to their Aadhaar card. This allowed him to access their bank accounts.
Arora’s modus operandi involved visiting a PNB branch and either stealing the employee’s phone or temporarily taking their SIM card. If he stole the phone, he would discard it and keep only the SIM card. He would then insert the SIM card into his own phone, open the PNB app, regenerate the PIN, and obtain the OTP. With the OTP, he could access the virtual card and transfer money to his account.
Investigators discovered that six cases had been filed against Arora across Delhi. Arora confessed to the police that his wife had suffered from kidney failure and required weekly dialysis. He resorted to online gambling to fund her treatment. Although his wife passed away in 2022, he continued gambling.
PNB has not issued an official comment, but a representative stated that the bank would release a statement through the appropriate channels.