Ludhiana: A veteran State Bank of India employee has been charged with siphoning more than Rs 37 lakh from her own branch by exploiting internal accounting loopholes.Amandeep Kaur, a resident of Dugri who had been with the SBI’s Shingar Cinema Road branch since 2013, faces charges of cheating and criminal breach of trust after an internal audit unmasked a trail of unauthorised withdrawals. It was a classic case of insider access meeting high-tech fraud: move the money, hide it in a “disputed” account, and walk out the front door with the cash. But the “magic” faded when auditors realised the bank’s general ledger was missing the most important thing — the signatures.
The Paperless TrailThe alleged fraud began to unravel on Aug 26, 2025, during a routine examination of the bank’s General Ledger Day (GLD) book. Former branch manager Ravinder Singh flagged a suspicious cash withdrawal of Rs 1.5 lakh from the previous day that lacked any supporting vouchers or senior approval. Further scrutiny revealed a pattern of deception. Police claim in their report that Amandeep Kaur allegedly manipulated the bank’s internal accounting hierarchy to hide her tracks.The money was first debited from the branch general ledger (BGL) accounts. It was then moved into a “system suspense” account — a temporary digital holding area reserved usually for disputed or unidentified transactions. Once parked in the suspense account, the money was withdrawn as cash for personal use.The ConfessionWhen confronted by the bank’s regional office, Amandeep Kaur reportedly admitted in writing to the unauthorised transactions. Initial admissions included the withdrawal of Rs 6 lakh, of which she repaid Rs 4 lakh. However, as the internal probe deepened, the scale of the theft grew. Investigators allege Amandeep Kaur eventually confessed to misappropriating an additional Rs 18 lakh through multiple transactions over an extended period. The total fraud is now estimated at more than Rs 37.7 lakh.The SBI has since suspended Amandeep Kaur and filed a formal complaint through current branch manager Kamaljit Singh. “The accused misused her official position to manipulate bank records and bypass standard authorization protocols,” a police spokesperson said. Ludhiana’s Division Number 3 police have registered a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 408 (criminal breach of trust by a clerk or servant) and 420 (cheating).A long-serving bank employee’s 12-year career has ended in a police cell after she allegedly used a temporary accounting “glitch” to fund a permanent lifestyle.
