Woman banker arrested for embezzlement

She was living secretly in Varanasi; her Alambagh residence in Lucknow was under surveillance during which her new mobile number was detected and her location was traced in Varanasi, from where she was arrested

LUCKNOW A 35-year-old woman banker accused of financial embezzlement and issuing forged bank drafts was arrested on Tuesday. She had been at large for the past nine months since her name surfaced in the fraud that surfaced during an annual audit in May last year, after which an FIR was lodged against unknown bank officials at the Gomti Nagar police station, said police

The bank’s chief manager lodged the FIR regarding forged bank drafts in June last year, after which the probe was initiated into the case. (Pic for representation)

The accused was identified as Swati Singh, a resident of Alambagh, who was a senior manager at the Ujariaon branch of a nationalized bank in Gomti Nagar, said additional DCP (east), Sayed Ali Abbas. She was absconding and living secretly in Varanasi. Her Alambagh residence in Lucknow was under surveillance during which her new mobile number was detected and her location was traced in Varanasi, from where she was arrested, he said.

The ADCP said the bank’s chief manager lodged the FIR regarding forged bank drafts in June last year, after which the probe was initiated into the case. He said the investigation revealed that the forged bank drafts were issued using the ID of the accused, after which her role came under the scanner. The bank suspended her after her involvement was confirmed and she was elusive since then.

The probe revealed that forged bank drafts of a customer amounting to ₹15 lakh were issued while illegal transactions were done from the accounts of some customers using withdrawal forms. The involvement of some other bank personnel was suspected in this fraud along with the senior manager, following which further investigation was underway, said another police official.