Banker who stole ₹16 cr from 127 accounts held after 13-hr, 2-state chase

Singla allegedly picked accounts least likely to attract scrutiny—those belonging to elderly depositors, minors, deceased customers, and long-inactive accounts

MUMBAI: In a chase that spanned over 13 hours and two states, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested suspended Bank of India (BOI) officer Hitesh Singla, accused of misappropriating ₹16.10 crore from 127 accounts belonging to senior citizens, minors, deceased customers and dormant account holders.

Banker who stole ₹16 cr from 127 accounts held after 13-hr, 2-state chase

Singla, who had been allegedly absconding since the fraud came to light, was tracked down and arrested in Ahmedabad in the early hours of Wednesday after ED officials intercepted him on the 19320 Mahamana Express (Ujjain–Veraval). The 32-year-old man was attempting to flee while constantly shifting between seats and coaches in a bid to throw investigators off his trail.

He was produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mumbai later in the day, which granted ED custody till Tuesday.

The anatomy of the fraud

According to ED investigators, Singla’s fraudulent activities spanned over two years, from May 2023 to July 2025. With what officials described as “deliberate malafide and criminal intent,” the suspended officer allegedly manipulated BOI’s systems to close fixed deposits, Public Provident Funds (PPFs), senior citizen savings accounts, current accounts and even dormant savings accounts without any authorisation.

The proceeds were systematically siphoned off into his personal accounts at State Bank of India, in small instalments meant to camouflage the diversions.

The probe further revealed a calculated pattern- Singla allegedly cherry-picked accounts least likely to attract scrutiny—those belonging to elderly depositors, minors, deceased customers, and long-inactive accounts. By targeting such vulnerable profiles, he was able to keep the fraud under wraps for months while steadily amassing illicit gains.

“Through this modus operandi, Singla defrauded the Bank of India and its customers of ₹16.10 crore, causing substantial loss to the institution, damaging its reputation and eroding public trust by misusing his official position,” an ED officer said.

On the run

Since the bank detected the irregularities, Singla had been missing and had failed to report for duty, agency officials said. Acting on intelligence, ED teams began to trail him on Tuesday night after receiving word that he was travelling on a sleeper-class ticket aboard the Mahamana Express.

Sources said surveillance began around 7.30pm Tuesday, with an ED team rushing by flight from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, reaching at around 1.30am. At the same time, another ED officer boarded the train at Godhra to track the fugitive.

But in a twist, Singla was not found at his allotted sleeper berth. Instead, officials learnt that he had upgraded to an AC coach mid-journey, shifting seats and even changing compartments to stay out of reach.

When the train finally pulled into Ahmedabad station, the Mumbai ED team—waiting in coordination with railway staff—managed to identify and corner him after cross-checking passenger details. “He was constantly on the move inside the train, but eventually the team managed to nab him as soon as he alighted,” an official said.

A case that rattled the bank

The ED case stems from a First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 6. Acting on a written complaint filed by Om Prakash, deputy zonal manager of BOI, the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in Mumbai had booked Singla and unnamed accomplices under provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Investigators suspect that Singla may have diverted part of the funds into share markets, and are now following the money trail to recover the misappropriated sums. Searches have also been conducted at the premises of an associate linked to the accused.