LUCKNOW: A petrol pump employee, who went on a shopping spree with his wife, bought an SUV worth Rs 15.71 lakh, jewellery worth Rs 22.47 lakh, iPhone handsets worth Rs 5 lakh and splurged Rs 76.2 lakh in total after a technical error strangely showed money in his account was arrested and sent to jail on Tuesday after the bank manager filed a complaint.
Petrol pump worker Karan Sharma who draws a monthly salary of Rs 11,000, went on a shopping spree with his wife Anita and first booked an XUV300 worth Rs 15.71 lakh, then purchased jewellery worth Rs 18 lakh from Vinod Jewellers in Banthra on December 20.
The couple purchased more jewellery worth Rs 4.47 lakh from another shop on December 21, and iPhone handsets worth Rs 5 lakh on December 22, said police.
On December 23, Sharma also got Rs 2 lakh petrol recharge done from the pump where he worked.
The same day officials from the Bani branch of Central Bank of India called him and informed that there was some technical error and demanded the money back, said police officials quoting the complaint on which an FIR was lodged.
"On December 24, bank manager Neha Gupta informed us about a fraud of Rs 76 lakh by a petrol pump worker Karan Sharma. Sharma and his wife fled and did not appear before the bank authorities despite being asked to do so," said SHO, Banthra, Ajay Pratap Singh.
The SHO said the transaction irregularity was detected by the bank head office in Mumbai from where officials informed the branch manager.
Acting on the complaint filed by the bank manager, police lodged an FIR on the charges of dishonesty and criminal breach of trust against Karan and his wife Anita. They were arrested on December 26 and sent to jail on Monday.
"We have asked the bank authorities to trace if any bank official is involved in the fraud," the SHO told TOI.
The investigation officers are also investigating how such a huge amount could be spent by a savings bank account holder through a debit card.
When TOI spoke to the bank’s branch manager Neha Gupta, she said the matter was being investigated by the technical wing and she was not aware of the technicalities involved.
