Punjab National Bank Branch Manager Fined Rs.55,153 in ATM Fraud Case by Shamli Consumer Commission

Shamli, Uttar Pradesh: In a case related to unauthorized withdrawal of ₹10,000, the District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission in Shamli has imposed a total penalty of ₹55,153 on the branch manager of Punjab National Bank (PNB), Gadhipukhta (गढ़ीपुख्ताा) branch.

What Happened?

A man named Rampal Singh, who lives in Rajhad village, filed a complaint on October 3, 2018 against two banks:

• PNB Gadhipukhta Branch
• ICICI Bank, Shamli Branch

He said he had a savings account at PNB Gadhipukhta. On 23 July 2018, he withdrew ₹10,000 from an ICICI Bank ATM in Shamli. After that, he had ₹2,062.59 left in his account.

But the very next day, on 24 July 2018, while he was at home and had his ATM card with him, he got an SMS alert saying another ₹10,000 had been withdrawn from his account. This confused him, and he immediately contacted his bank.

The bank staff told him to call the toll-free number and file a complaint. He said he did so on 3 August 2018, but never got any reply. Later, he even sent a legal notice by post on 27 August 2018.

In the meantime, on 29 August 2018, he received a sugarcane payment of ₹16,044 in his account. However, the bank deducted ₹7,937 as charges and adjusted ₹153 (overdraft), and only deposited ₹7,953 in his account.

When Rampal Singh went to the ICICI Bank branch in Shamli to see the CCTV footage, he was told to come after a week. Even after visiting the branch several times, the issue remained unresolved. On 20 September 2018, he submitted a written request to view the footage — but again, there was no progress.

Consumer Commission Decisionn

After listening to the case, the Commission, led by Chairman Hemant Kumar Gupta and members Amarjit Kaur and Abhinav Agarwal, ruled in favor of Rampal Singh. They passed the following orders:

1. ₹10,153 (the withdrawn amount) to be returned to Rampal Singh with 12% simple interest
2. ₹20,000 to be paid to him for mental, physical, and financial stress
3. ₹5,000 to be paid as legal expenses
4. An additional penalty of ₹20,000 was imposed on the bank for poor service and unfair practices, which will go to the government treasury, not the complainant.

The case highlights how a consumer lost money due to unauthorized ATM withdrawal, and after repeated complaints and no resolution from the bank, the consumer court stepped in and penalized the bank for its negligence.