A 36-year-old zari worker from Kultali in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district was left shocked after discovering that nearly Rs 100 crore had been credited to her bank account, as per a TOI report. The unexplained deposit has led to the freezing of her account, leaving the family unable to access money for daily expenses.
Woman discovers balance during routine bank visit
Kashmira Sheikh, a resident of Kirtankhola village in the Kundakhali-Godabar gram panchayat area, said she visited the Punjab National Bank's Kultali Jamtala branch last Saturday to check whether the LPG subsidy for a recently booked cylinder had been credited.
Instead, she found that her account reflected a balance of Rs 99,99,99,997, just Rs 3 short of Rs 100 crore.
Kashmira, who earns a living through zari work from home, said she had no idea how such a large amount had been deposited into her account. Her husband works in Kolkata making bags, and the couple supports their three children.
Family says bank could not explain deposit
According to Kashmira, neither the LPG distributor nor bank officials could explain the source of the funds.
She said she and her husband approached the bank manager after noticing the amount but were told that the bank could not provide any information. The couple later returned to seek clarification again and alleged that officials attributed the incident to an accounting error or technical glitch.
Account frozen, family faces hardship
Following the unexplained credit, all transactions in the family's only bank account were frozen.
Kashmira said the freeze has prevented them from withdrawing money for their daily needs and added that they do not have another bank account to manage household expenses. She said the family is frightened because the money does not belong to them and they never requested such a transfer.
The couple has also lodged a complaint at Kultali police station.
Bank yet to issue official statement
Bank officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, reportedly attributed the incident to a possible server malfunction or another technical issue and said the matter was under review. The bank has not issued an official statement on the case.
Similar cases reported in West Bengal
The incident is among several recent cases involving unexplained deposits in bank accounts across West Bengal.
On Friday, police, a bank and the Income Tax Department launched a joint investigation after Rs 47 crore was credited to the account of Nupur Gupta, a cloud kitchen owner in Beleghata. Gupta reported the matter to the local police station.
Similar incidents have also been reported from north Bengal.
