Four bank officials suspended for swindling money from customers' accounts

Four officials including the manager of State Bank of India's Kakrauli branch here were suspended allegedly after depositors' money were siphoned off from their accounts, an official said Thursday.

Branch manager Chander Mohan Sharma, Field Officer Rakesh Sharma, Cashiers Veer Bahadur and Ravinder have been placed under suspension and an inquiry was ordered Wednesday in connection with the incident, according to SBI Regional Manager Mukesh Kumar.

The alleged fraud surfaced after many account holders, most of them farmers, staged a demonstration claiming that money was withdrawn from their accounts using fake vouchers.

The SBI has replaced entire staff members of the branch concerned and formed a team comprising the bank officials to verify the charges.

Meanwhile, a local court has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of two of the accused, including the suspended branch manager.

District and Sessions Judge Sanjay Kumar Pachori rejected their anticipatory bail plea saying there is no case of bail due to serious charges against them.