Farmers in Greater Noida’s Echchhar village have alleged that around ₹35 crore was withdrawn or transferred without their authorisation from their Punjab National Bank savings accounts and fixed deposits, including money received as compensation for land acquired for the Noida airport project. Police have registered a case against bank employees, while affected account holders have begun an indefinite protest outside the branch.
The FIR was registered at the Beta-2 police station after complaints from more than 20 account holders, including Shrichand, Kartari, Atendra, Chतर Singh, Sunita, Saroj, Santosh, Basanti, Vineet Bhati, Sanjay, Gajendra, Hanif Khan, Dharam Singh, Sonu, Jagdish, Vijaypal, Amichand, Subhash, Ranpal, Bijendra Singh and Akash Bhati. The complainants have alleged that bank employees acted in collusion to move funds from their accounts into other accounts without permission.
Farmer organisations said more than 50 farmers from nearby villages may have been affected. Farmer leader Brijesh Bhati alleged that compensation paid to farmers for land acquired for the airport was among the money taken from the accounts. Other leaders, including Alok Nagar and Dr Vikas Pradhan, demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry. The protesters said they would continue their sit-in until every affected account holder received the full amount allegedly missing from their account.
The alleged irregularities came to light when account holders found that their passbooks continued to show the deposited funds, but they were unable to withdraw the money. Most of the affected farmers reportedly had more than ₹1 crore in their accounts. The complaints have raised questions about how unauthorised transfers could occur in accounts holding large compensation payments and fixed deposits.
The police case has been registered under Section 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The provision can attract imprisonment for life or imprisonment of up to 10 years if the accused are found guilty, according to the report. Greater Noida Deputy Commissioner of Police Shravan Kumar Singh said the investigation had begun and that action would be taken against anyone whose role emerged during the inquiry.
Concern also spread to bank lockers, with several customers visiting the branch to check whether their jewellery and other valuables were intact. The bank management said no locker had been tampered with. Police personnel were deployed outside the branch after account holders gathered and protested during the day.
Punjab National Bank has suspended employees who previously worked at the branch, and the bank is conducting an internal investigation, according to the police statement cited in the report. The police investigation and the bank’s internal inquiry will determine how the alleged transfers took place, identify those responsible and establish the amount involved in each account.
