CBI court jails three OBC bank officials 7 years in ₹12 lakh fraud case
Synopsis
A CBI court in Jaipur has handed seven-year prison terms to three former Oriental Bank of Commerce employees who used fake 'No Dues Certificates' to free mortgaged assets on unpaid loans — causing the bank a loss of over ₹12 lakh. The case, registered in 2019 and chargesheeted in 2022, shows how branch-level collusion across all staff ranks can defeat banking safeguards.
Key Takeaways
A CBI Special Court in Jaipur sentenced three Oriental Bank of Commerce employees to 7 years RI each on 18 September 2026 .
Convicted officials: Ramji Lal Meena (Branch Manager), Murari Lal Meena (Special Assistant), and Than Singh Lashkar (Peon-cum-Housekeeper) — all fined ₹85,000 each.
The fraud involved issuing unauthorised No Dues Certificates , releasing mortgaged securities despite unpaid loans — causing a loss of ₹12,14,660.71 across three accounts.
CBI registered the case on 1 February 2019 ; chargesheet filed on 5 May 2022 .
In a separate case, the CBI has targeted retired NFR Deputy Chief Engineer Sajal Kanti Das over assets allegedly rising from ₹39.85 lakh to over ₹1.28 crore between 2016 and 2022 .
A CBI Special Court in Jaipur on 18 September 2026 convicted and sentenced three former employees of Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) to seven years of Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) each in a bank fraud case involving the unauthorised release of mortgaged securities, causing a loss of over ₹12 lakh to the bank. Each of the three convicted officials was also slapped with a fine of ₹85,000.
Who Was Convicted
The court found Ramji Lal Meena, then Branch Manager; Murari Lal Meena, then Special Assistant; and Than Singh Lashkar, then Peon-cum-Housekeeper — all formerly posted at OBC's Sheosinghpura branch in Lalsot, Dausa — guilty of criminal misconduct. The conviction brings to a close a case that began with a formal complaint by the then Deputy General Manager of Oriental Bank of Commerce.
How the Fraud Was Carried Out
According to the case record, Murari Lal Meena abused his position as Special Assistant to dishonestly issue unauthorised 'No Dues Certificates' — documents that effectively cleared borrowers of outstanding loan obligations. These certificates enabled the release of mortgaged securities even when loan liabilities remained unpaid, resulting in a wrongful loss of ₹12,14,660.71 across three loan accounts.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered the case on 1 February 2019 following the complaint, and after completing its probe, filed a chargesheet against all three accused on 5 May 2022. The trial concluded with the court delivering its verdict on 18 September 2026.
Separate CBI Action Against Railway Engineer
In a separate development, the CBI has registered a case against retired Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Deputy Chief Engineer Sajal Kanti Das for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The CBI's Guwahati branch stated that Das and his wife, Sangita Das, accumulated disproportionate assets worth approximately ₹88.20 lakh between 2016 and 2022.
According to the agency, the couple's total assets grew from around ₹39.85 lakh in 2016 to ₹1,28,66,946 by 2022. The investigation has identified several properties and financial holdings allegedly linked to the couple in Assam's Cachar district, including a house valued at approximately ₹19 lakh, reportedly constructed on five kathas of land in the Rangpur locality of Cachar district.
Significance of the Verdict
The Jaipur conviction underscores the CBI's sustained push to prosecute public servants implicated in banking misconduct — a drive that has gained momentum as courts clear older chargesheets filed in the post-2019 period. The OBC case is notable for involving all rungs of a branch hierarchy: from a peon to a branch manager, suggesting a systemic failure of internal controls rather than a solo act. OBC was subsequently merged into Punjab National Bank (PNB) in 2020 as part of the Centre's public-sector bank consolidation programme.
Both cases — the Jaipur bank fraud and the Guwahati disproportionate-assets probe — are likely to move toward trial in the coming months, with formal charges yet to be framed in the railway engineer's matter.
Point of View
A branch manager, a special assistant, and a peon all participated, pointing to a culture of collusion that internal audits failed to catch for years. The case also highlights how the 2020 merger of OBC into PNB, intended to strengthen the banking system, did nothing to accelerate accountability for legacy misconduct. Seven years is a significant sentence, but the ₹85,000 fine per accused looks disproportionately low against a fraud pattern that, if replicated across branches, could represent far larger systemic losses. The CBI's parallel action against the NFR engineer signals that its anti-corruption net extends well beyond banking — but the real deterrent test is how quickly these convictions follow registration, not how severe the sentences are.
NationPress
22 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the CBI court in Jaipur decide in the Oriental Bank of Commerce fraud case?
The CBI Special Court in Jaipur on 18 September 2026 convicted three former OBC employees — Ramji Lal Meena, Murari Lal Meena, and Than Singh Lashkar — and sentenced each to seven years of Rigorous Imprisonment along with a fine of ₹85,000. They were found guilty of causing a wrongful loss of over ₹12 lakh to the bank through unauthorised No Dues Certificates.
How did the Oriental Bank of Commerce fraud take place?
Murari Lal Meena, acting as Special Assistant, issued unauthorised 'No Dues Certificates' that falsely cleared loan accounts of outstanding liabilities, allowing mortgaged securities to be released despite unpaid dues. This manipulation affected three loan accounts and caused a verified loss of ₹12,14,660.71 to the bank.
When did the CBI register and chargesheet this case?
The CBI registered the case on 1 February 2019 based on a complaint from OBC's then Deputy General Manager, and filed the chargesheet against all three accused on 5 May 2022. The trial culminated in the conviction on 18 September 2026.
Who is Sajal Kanti Das and what is the CBI's case against him?
Sajal Kanti Das is a retired Deputy Chief Engineer of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR). The CBI's Guwahati branch has registered a case against him and his wife Sangita Das for allegedly accumulating disproportionate assets worth approximately ₹88.20 lakh between 2016 and 2022, with their total assets reportedly rising from ₹39.85 lakh to over ₹1.28 crore in that period.
What happened to Oriental Bank of Commerce after the fraud was reported?
Oriental Bank of Commerce was merged into Punjab National Bank (PNB) in 2020 as part of the Centre's public-sector bank consolidation programme. The criminal proceedings against the implicated officials, however, continued independently through the CBI court process.
