A shocking revelation has emerged as Ms. Sharma accuses a bank official of orchestrating a complex scheme involving “fake accounts, forged signatures, unauthorized issuance of debit cards, and cheque books” to siphon funds from her accounts.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Ms. Sharma detailed how the official allegedly deceived her, stating, “He provided me with falsified statements, created a fraudulent email ID using my name, and tampered with my mobile number on bank records to prevent withdrawal notifications.”
Acknowledging the incident, a spokesperson for the bank admitted to the BBC that “indeed the fraud had occurred,” emphasizing the institution’s reputable stature as a custodian of trillions of rupees in deposits from numerous customers. “Those responsible will face consequences,” the spokesperson added.
Ms. Sharma and her husband, who returned to India from the US and Hong Kong in 2016, were introduced to a banker through a mutual acquaintance. Advised to transfer their savings to India due to negligible interest rates in the US, they entrusted their funds to the banker’s guidance.
Following his advice, Ms. Sharma opened an NRE account for non-resident Indians at ICICI’s branch in old Gurugram near Delhi. Over the span of four years, they deposited their entire life savings, totaling approximately 135 million rupees, into the account, anticipating it to grow to over 160 million rupees with accrued interest.
Assured by the branch manager’s diligence, Ms. Sharma never suspected any wrongdoing, receiving regular receipts, email statements, and personal visits with detailed documentation.
The fraudulent activity came to light in early January when a new bank employee offered to optimize Ms. Sharma’s returns. Upon investigation, she discovered that all her fixed deposits had vanished, with an unauthorized overdraft of 25 million rupees on one account.
As investigations unfold, Ms. Sharma’s case highlights the vulnerability of unsuspecting individuals to financial malpractice and raises concerns about the security measures within banking institutions.