JAGTIAL: A business correspondent engaged by the Gollapalli branch of the Union Bank of India in Jagtial district allegedly siphoned off Rs 1.5 crore from the accounts of customers of the bank who are residents of Ibrahimnagar Colony and Sriramulapalli. The fraud came to light on Monday after which the villagers, mostly farmers, staged a protest in front of the bank branch demanding their money and action against the fraudster.
Village sarpanch N Ganga Reddy said a total amount of Rs 1.5 crore was siphoned off from the accounts of farmers and self-help groups (SHGs). “The actual figure will be known only in the police inquiry,” he said. Initial reports say B Anjaiah, who was engaged by the bank for providing banking services at locations other than the bank branch/ATM, siphoned off the said amount from the customer accounts.
However, the bank authorities said an internal inquiry is already on and they lodged a complaint with the police 15 days ago in this regard. They said the Chief Bank Manager will soon visit the branch and settle the matter. Gollapalli police have launched a manhunt for Anjaiah who is at large.
Ganga Reddy said that if the money is not credited to the accounts of the villagers, as promised by the bank, they will launch a protest in front of the bank till justice is done. Kundarapu Rajeshwari, one of the villagers, said that she lost Rs 3 lakh in the fraud.