Bathinda: A clerical staff member at the State Bank of India’s Sadiq branch in Faridkot district has been booked after nearly Rs 4 crore were found to have been withdrawn from the accounts of nearly 70 customers, said Faridkot DSP Tarlochan Singh on Tuesday. The employee, Amit Dhingra, is on the run after an FIR was registered against him at Sadiq police station on charges of cheating and criminal breach of trust, following a complaint by branch’s deputy manager, Shashank Shekhar Arora. Arora alleged that the money was withdrawn fraudulently mainly from fixed deposit receipt (FDR) accounts. The fraud came to light, alleged Arora, after Buta Singh of Kauni village complained of Rs 4. lakh being withdrawn from his account and Amrik Singh from Dhilwan Khurd complaining of Rs 4.85 lakh being withdrawn from his account. There were others too who made similar complaints, claimed Arora. Upon learning about the fraud, a number of customers reached the bank branch on Tuesday to enquire about their accounts. Sadiq former sarpanch Baljinder Singh Dhaliwal, who too was among the people who reached the branch, demanded a thorough investigation. Bank officials said the money of each and every customer will be returned in a timely manner. The DSP said police were trying to track down Dhingra.
