Two employees of Punjab National Bank’s Farakka Barrage branch in Murshidabad have been arrested for allegedly embezzling customers' savings over the past few months.

Cashier Suvendu Saha and casual worker Praveen Dutta were picked up from their homes in Palashi village under Farakka police station limits on Thursday night and produced before the Jangipur court on Friday, which remanded them in six days of police custody.

PNB branch manager Anirban Mitra said: "For the past few months, some customers have been complaining about missing credits despite depositing money into their savings accounts. Around 50 customers submitted written complaints. During an internal inquiry, it was found that about ₹64 lakh of these customers’ money went missing even though they had apparently deposited it."

The duped customers protest outside the bank in Farakka on Friday

Bank sources said an internal inquiry revealed the duo, who were responsible for handling cash, had received money from customers but did not deposit it into their accounts.

“They issued the stamped receipts — the counterpart of deposit forms — for the deposited cash but did not physically or digitally credit the money to the customers’ savings accounts. Instead, they pocketed it. The embezzlement could be proved only because the complainants produced the acknowledgement parts of their deposit forms,” a senior PNB official said.

The bank authorities are now trying to determine whether there were more such cases involving customers who might still be unaware of the fraud.

Mitra added: “Only after the suspected role of these two employees behind the embezzlement came to light did I file a written complaint at Farakka police station. On Thursday night, police arrested them.”

A customer said: "Despite depositing ₹2.7 lakh recently, I was shocked to find only ₹10,000 as my current balance. I repeatedly urged the cashier and the manager about the missing deposit and showed my evidence. After about a month, the manager allowed me to lodge a complaint.”

Several customers have alleged that more employees of the branch could be involved in the scam.

Deputy superintendent of police Farakka Sheikh Shamsuddin said: “The manager of the Farakka Barrage branch of Punjab National Bank filed a written complaint with the Farakka police station. Based on that complaint, police investigated and arrested two employees last night. We are trying to find out if the accused persons cheated more customers."