CBI registers FIR in ₹10.24 crore PNB fraud at Greater Noida branch
Synopsis
A PNB employee allegedly used colleagues' login credentials to siphon ₹10.24 crore from customer accounts over nearly three years — and the fraud may be larger. The CBI's Ghaziabad unit has now stepped in, with a separate list of suspicious FD transactions worth ₹70.23 crore also under scrutiny.
Key Takeaways
The CBI registered an FIR on 30 October 2025 in an alleged ₹10.24 crore fraud at PNB's Sector Pi branch, Greater Noida .
Accused employee Deepanshi allegedly used colleagues' credentials for unauthorised fund transfers; seven others also named.
The alleged irregularities reportedly went undetected for nearly three years .
A separate list of 49 suspicious FD transactions worth ₹70.23 crore has also been submitted; its link to the core fraud amount is under examination.
The FIR invokes the BNS , IT Act , and Prevention of Corruption Act ; total fraud amount may rise as the investigation continues.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR in connection with an alleged fraud of ₹10.24 crore at a Punjab National Bank (PNB) branch in Greater Noida's Sector Pi, according to sources. The case involves unauthorised transactions carried out from multiple customer accounts, with a bank employee and several associates named as accused.
How the Fraud Allegedly Unfolded
Preliminary findings suggest that a female bank employee, identified as Deepanshi, allegedly used the user IDs and passwords of other bank officials to carry out unauthorised transactions from customers' accounts. The funds were then reportedly transferred to accounts linked to her associates. According to sources, the alleged irregularities went undetected for nearly three years.
PNB's complaint names Deepanshi as the primary accused, allegedly acting in conspiracy with Ashutosh Pathak, Pradeep Kumar, Membanti Devi, Priyanka Kumari, Shanti Devi, Shalini, Saroj Devi, and other unidentified individuals.
CBI Steps In
Given the gravity of the matter, the CBI's Anti-Corruption Branch in Ghaziabad registered the FIR on Thursday, 30 October 2025 and has initiated a detailed probe. The FIR has been filed under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Information Technology Act, and the Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused bank employee, Ashutosh Pathak, other private persons, and unidentified public servants.
Scale of the Alleged Fraud
In its complaint, PNB stated that its internal inquiry had identified unauthorised withdrawals totalling approximately ₹10.24 crore from multiple customer accounts. Separately, the bank submitted a list of suspicious fixed deposit (FD) transactions, reportedly covering 49 fixed deposits and fund transfers following their closure, amounting to ₹70.23 crore. Officials have noted that this figure differs from the ₹10.24 crore cited as the fraud amount, and the relationship between the two figures is expected to be examined during the investigation.
Investigation Underway
Authorities are currently scrutinising banking records, transaction trails, and beneficiary accounts. The bank has indicated that the total fraud amount may increase as verification of all affected customer accounts is still ongoing. The number of impacted accounts and beneficiaries is also being examined. This case adds to a pattern of insider-threat frauds at public sector banks, where employees with system-level access have exploited credential vulnerabilities — underscoring the persistent challenge of internal controls in India's banking sector.
Point of View
Raising questions about whether PNB's internal audit function was adequately resourced or simply ignored early warning signals. The divergence between the ₹10.24 crore fraud figure and the ₹70.23 crore in suspicious FD transactions suggests investigators may be looking at a far larger operation than the initial complaint captures. Public sector banks have repeatedly featured in CBI charge-sheets for precisely this category of fraud; until lenders demonstrate that credential-sharing is structurally impossible — not merely prohibited — the risk of recurrence remains high.
NationPress
30 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CBI FIR against PNB's Greater Noida branch about?
The CBI has registered an FIR alleging that a bank employee and her associates siphoned ₹10.24 crore from customer accounts at PNB's Sector Pi branch in Greater Noida through unauthorised transactions. The alleged fraud reportedly went undetected for nearly three years before an internal inquiry flagged it.
Who are the accused in the PNB Greater Noida fraud case?
PNB's complaint names employee Deepanshi as the primary accused, allegedly acting in conspiracy with Ashutosh Pathak, Pradeep Kumar, Membanti Devi, Priyanka Kumari, Shanti Devi, Shalini, Saroj Devi, and unidentified individuals. The FIR also covers unidentified public servants.
Could the total fraud amount in the PNB case exceed ₹10.24 crore?
Yes, according to officials the total fraud amount may increase as verification of all affected customer accounts is still ongoing. A separate list of 49 suspicious fixed deposit transactions worth ₹70.23 crore has also been submitted, and its relationship to the ₹10.24 crore fraud figure is under examination.
Under which laws has the CBI registered the FIR?
The FIR has been registered under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Information Technology Act, and the Prevention of Corruption Act. It names the accused bank employee, Ashutosh Pathak, other private persons, and unidentified public servants.
What happens next in the CBI investigation?
The CBI's Anti-Corruption Branch in Ghaziabad is scrutinising banking records, transaction trails, and beneficiary accounts to determine the full scope of the alleged fraud. The total amount involved and the number of impacted accounts are expected to be revised as the probe progresses.
