Patna: A senior bank official allegedly attempted to commit suicide by consuming poison in his office at Aurangabad on Thursday evening.

The official, identified as Nandu Ram, 55, and posted with the Aurangabad cooperative bank, has been admitted to a Gaya-based hospital where his condition is said to be critical.

The employees of the bank said the manager appeared to be mentally upset since morning. He went outside for about half-an-hour and returned to the bank around 4pm. He was found unconscious in his chamber from where he was rushed to the local sadar hospital.

Nandu was referred to the Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital, Gaya, for better treatment. Bank officials said the manager was under duress ever since some irregularities were detected during audit of the bank.

A joint team of auditors from Patna office and the Nabard had recently conducted audit of the bank and was about to submit a report to the authorities concerned. A report was also to be submitted to the Aurangabad district magistrate, sources in the bank said.

The chairman of a Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society (PACS) Abhiram Vishwakarma is learnt to have duped the bank of several lakhs of rupees. Nandu was posted at Aurangabad branch of the bank for the past two years.

He had earlier served at Barun and Haspura branches of the bank in Aurangabad. The police have lodged a complaint in this connection. The family members, however, alleged that Nandu was under duress due to work load.

In May a 31-year-old bank manager, Alok Chandra, was killed in Jehanabad district when he was on his way to Arwal on a motorbike to assume duty. The police have failed to make any breakthrough in the case so far.