PNB’s chief manager arrested for collusion in Rs 400 crore loan scam

The Ghaziabad police on Tuesday arrested a chief manager of the Punjab National Bank’s (PNB) Greater Noida branch for his alleged collusion in a Rs 400 crore loan scam with its prime accused Lakhsya Tanwar.

A Special Investigation Team probing into the loan scam arrested Chief Manager Utkarsh Kumar from the bank’s branch in Greater Noida, city’s Superintendent of Police Nipun Agarwal said.

Kumar was posted earlier with the Chandra Nagar branch of the PNB when the scam, in which Tanwar had managed to raise bank loans worth over Rs 400 crore on the basis of forged documents in collusion with various bank officials.

The police had earlier arrested the bank’s Assistant General Manager Ram Nath Mishra and Manager Priyadarshani for their alleged roles in the scam.

Tanwar faces 39 cases of cheating and forgery and Kumar 12 cases for their roles in the scam, SP Agarwal said, adding the SIT is raiding the suspected hideouts of Tanwar’s wife Priyanka Tanwar and over one dozen other accused in the case.

Some of the former employees of the bank who colluded in the scam too would be arrested soon, the SP said.

Tanwar was arrested and his immoveable property was attached by the Ghaziabad administration earlier. Tanwar was also booked under the Uttar Pradesh Gangster Act, Agarwal said.

The loan scam had come to light in August 2020 when a man named Shivam had filed a complaint against Tanwar, his wife Priyanka Tanwar, PNB manager Kumar, Deputy Manager Priyadarshani and other employees at the G T Road Kotwali police station, alleging that Tanwar had purchased two properties worth Rs 1.33 crore in his name and obtained a loan of Rs 4 crore from the bank.

During the probe, police found that Shivam and his father Sunil Kumar were hand-in-glove with Tanwar. Shivam had lodged the complaint just to save himself and his father after the bank began sending notices to them for recovery of the loan amount, police said.