TEAM HERALD
BELGAUM: Alleged negligence by bank officials in identifying the real account holder has led to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 15.64 lakh from the account of a Goan woman.
Maria Louis Fernandes of Vasco, who owns a farm near Khanapur, has filed a police complaint in the matter, while the Belgaum police are on the lookout for a local woman, identified as Sumitra Pawar, who had withdrawn the amount through fraudulent means.
Speaking to Herald, Louis Fernandes, a businessman from Vasco who owns a farm and a farm house at Ramgurwadi near Khanapur along the Khanapur–Jamboti road, said he and his wife have had a savings bank account with a nationalised bank in Belgaum since 1990.
According to information from the Fernandes family and a complaint lodged by Maria Fernandes at the APMC police station here, Pawar withdrew Rs 6.6 lakh by presenting herself to the bank staff as Maria and using a withdrawal slip by duplicating Maria’s signature.
Later, Pawar also managed to get a cheque book from the branch of the bank and transferred a total of Rs 9 lakh in two transactions into her own account in another branch of the bank.
On January 14, when Maria went to the bank, she was shocked to see the withdrawals amounting to Rs 15.64 lakh from her account.
After enquiring with bank officials, Maria was unhappy with their response and later filed a complaint at the APMC police station.
Police managed to get the photograph and details of the accused, who is absconding.
The Fernandes family, who is still in the state of shock, has blamed the bank officials for the negligence.
“With the norms for withdrawals getting stringent, how could bank officials be so negligent? How was it possible for the accused to gain access to Maria’s signature, when it has to be maintained confidentially,” asked Maria’s husband, Louis Fernandes.
Added Maria, “Our account was non-operational since July 2013 and so, how did the bank not declare it dormant and inform us accordingly as per the banks rules?”
Suspecting the involvement of some bank staff in the fraudulent withdrawal of the amount, the couple now plans to complain about the incident to senior bank officials.
