PATNA: Buxar police on Sunday arrested Dakshin Bihar Gramin Bank manager Dr Ravi Shankar Kumar for alleged fraudulent transactions of Rs1.09 crore from the accounts of the Asha Parari branch customers.
Kumar was posted as the manager of the bank’s Asha Parari branch under Simri police station area of Buxar district.
He was arrested from his Himgiri Palace flat near Panchamukhi Temple under S K Puri police station area in Patna.
The Bhabhua regional manager of the bank, Vikash Kumar Bhagat, had lodged an FIR with Simri police station against Kumar, his father, wife, his brother and other unknown persons for embezzlement of Rs 1.09 crore from the customers’ bank accounts.
The matter first surfaced on May 31.
Kumar and four other bank staff have been suspended.
The bank authorities had initially estimated the embezzlement of more than Rs2 crore.
Sources said around 120 customers of Asha Parari branch were affected from the fraud.
“Senior bank authorities are camping at the Asha Parari branch for detailed internal inquiry,” he said.
Sources said Kumar not only made fraudulent transactions from the savings accounts of customers, but also diluted several fixed deposits and transferred the amount into the bank accounts of his family members and other associates.
Buxar SP Neeraj Kumar Singh said Kumar was being interrogated.
“Kumar’s father Umesh and other family members are evading arrest.
Raids are being conducted to nab the other accused, whose bank accounts had been used for fraudulent transfer of money by Kumar,” he said.
The SP said the embezzled amount may rise further as the internal inquiry of the bank authorities was still going on.
Sources said the bank’s vigilance team is expected to probe another branch at Rajpur Kala near Simri where the arrested manager had been posted earlier.
“A couple of complaints about money withdrawal from bank accounts of customers without their knowledge have been reported there also,” a source said.
Sources said that the bank’s chairman, Dr SA Javed, held a virtual meeting with general managers and all regional managers on Saturday and rapped them for the lapses.