Nagpur: In a case that has exposed serious lapses in cheque handling, the Sadar Police have registered a case of cheating after forged cheques were used to fraudulently withdraw more than Rs 7.22 lakh from the Punjab National Bank (PNB), Kingsway Branch in Nagpur.
According to police sources, the branch is headed by Abhishek Mahesh Chandra Gupta (39), Chief General Manager, and falls under the jurisdiction of Sadar Police Station. The complainants, Shriram Govindrao Wadhwani (56) and his son Shrimayur Mayur Muralidhar Wadhwani (35), residents of Jaripatka, are long-time account holders with the bank.
Gold Rate
27 Sept 2025
Between July 3 and July 8, 2025, the office staff of Shriram Wadhwani issued three cheques amounting to Rs 4,09,500, while the staff of Shrimayur deposited four cheques worth Rs 3,13,136 in the bank’s draft box. However, during this period, an unidentified accused allegedly managed to remove the cheques from the box without being noticed by bank staff.
The fraud came to light when the accused altered the original payee names on the cheques, replacing them with the fictitious name “Harsh Sharma.” The forged cheques were then deposited into an HDFC Bank account at Itwari branch, leading to the fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 7,22,636.
Acting on the victims’ complaint, Sadar Police have registered an offence under Sections 318(4), 338, 340(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Investigators are now working to trace the accused and determine how the cheques were stolen from within the bank premises.
Police sources said the case points to both sophisticated forgery and security lapses in cheque deposit handling, and further investigation is underway.
