Game addict bank manager swindles Rs210m in Kerala

KOZHIKODE: Branch manager of a nationalised bank, who is facing charges of swindling Rs210 million from various accounts including that of Kozhikode Municipal Corporation, has approached a sessions court here for anticipatory bail.

Though the exact extent of swindling by the former manager of the Punjab National Bank (PNB) is yet to be known, initial estimate has put the figure at Rs210 million.

According to the latest reports, money was defrauded from 10 individual accounts and seven accounts of the city corporation.

A scrutiny conducted by the audit department of the bank found that it was not just the civic body that was defrauded. However, the bank has not revealed the quantum of the amount lost.

The hearing on an application filed by MP Rijil, the suspect, in the district sessions court for anticipatory bail has been postponed to Monday.

Though the petition was taken up for consideration on Saturday, the hearing was deferred since more time was sought for submiting the police report.

The investigation has been handed over to police Crime Branch. Police are yet to track down the culprit even ater five days since the fraud came to light.

Kozhikode Corporation Mayor Beena Philip asked the bank authorities to return the entire money lost by Monday.

The Let Democratic Front (LDF), which is in power, has declared that if money is not returned, it would prevent the functioning of the PNB branches in the city on Tuesday.

The Corporation has found that the money it deposited was withdrawn from seven of its 15 accounts at PNB Link Road branch.

According to the Mayor, PNB had sent a mail that it will refund the entire unauthorisedly withdrawn amount in three days.

A case was registered against Rijil, former manager of the Link Road branch of the bank, who defrauded the customers and used the same for participating in online gaming.

Rijil had transferred money from different accounts in the branch to his father’s account in the same branch, and later, moved the money to his own trading account in Axis Bank.

Rijil is learnt to have used it to play online games and to invest in stocks.

He spent Rs80 million on online games, according to reports. Police have confirmed that Rijil misused his authority and even manipulated the bank documents to hide the irregularities.

Rijil tampered with the documents while transferring the money to his father’s account.

He purposefully omited the part where it is required to mention the source of the money being transferred.