Santosh Tiwary displays his ATM card in Patna on Friday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, March 2: Almost three days have passed since Santosh Tiwary (48) has been making the rounds of a police station to lodge an FIR, but the cops are apparently too busy with the ongoing Women’s World Cup Kabaddi tournament.

On February 29, Kankerbagh Colony Mor resident Santosh, a priest, visited the Kankerbagh branch of Punjab National Bank (PNB) to get his passbook updated and was shocked to find a reduction of Rs 16,100 in his bank balance. He said: “Someone had withdrawn money from the account using my ATM card through three transactions in January. In the first transaction made on January 11, Rs 100 was withdrawn. Later on the same day, Rs 10,000 was taken out using the card. Then on January 25, Rs 6,000 was withdrawn. All these details was given to me by the bank officials after they checked my account transaction records.”

Santosh said: “I had opened a joint savings account in 2008 in my name and that of my 12-year-old daughter, Kumari Rohini. I had received the bank introductory pack containing the ATM card and other documents almost a year later. Once I got it, I checked the documents and kept the whole packet in a cupboard at my house. I have never used the ATM card to withdraw money till date. I am comfortable in using cheques,” Tiwary told The Telegraph today. The priest was then asked to meet the manager of the bank who asked him to show his ATM card and other documents.

“I don’t carry the card with me. I went home, got the card and brought it to the bank. I also brought my daughter along, as it was a joint account. The manager at first said a family member might have used the card. But I am sure that no one from my family has used the card. My son studies in Class X in a city-based school. I was asked to cancel the card and I followed their instructions in doing so. I also wrote an application according to the manager’s directions and he assured me of looking into the matter.”

Santosh said the bank, while checking his transactions, said the amounts were not withdrawn from any PNB ATM kiosk.

“The manager said the withdrawals were not made through any ATM counter belonging to PNB. He said some other ATM kiosk had been used but he couldn’t tell me the name of the bank or the place where the ATM was located. I am yet to receive any call from the bank regarding the issue,” he said.

“I went to Kankerbagh police station the same afternoon to lodge an FIR,” Santosh added. Santosh claimed when he visited the police station, he was told that the station house officer (SHO) was not in office. “The cops told me to leave copies of documents in the police station. I called up the police station the next day and got the same answer. Today, I called up the SHO but he said he was busy and the FIR will be lodged later,” Tiwary alleged.

Santosh also claimed that each time he has called up the police station, he was asked to wait, as they were busy looking after security arrangements of the mega event at Patliputra Sports Complex.

All attempts to contact Balram Prasad, the SHO of Kankerbagh police station, failed. However, an officer at the police station said: “There are technicalities involved in cases of missing voter identity, ATM and other cards. One needs an affidavit for the same. We request him to come down to lodge an FIR,” he said.