Nagpur: In a major banking fraud case, the Ganeshpeth police have booked a former branch manager and several officials of Union Bank of India for allegedly causing a financial loss of over ₹1.65 crore to the bank by misusing credit card facilities.

The case has been registered on the complaint of Sandip Motilal Kumar (40), Chief Manager at Union Bank of India’s Ghat Road branch and a resident of Ganeshpeth. During a detailed review of the bank’s internal audit and fraud monitoring reports, serious financial irregularities were detected for the period between December 20, 2019 and May 23, 2022.

Police investigations indicate that the then branch manager, Nandeshwar Krishnarao Manthapurkar (63), who has since retired, allegedly entered into a criminal conspiracy with officials posted in the credit card and loan departments, along with other associates. The accused are said to have misused credit card facilities for personal monetary benefits, resulting in a cumulative loss of ₹1,65,17,000 to the bank.

Those named in the case include Vineet Gyaneshwar Rokde (44), Prashant Jagdish Uke (40), Dhiraj Gajanan Gajbhiye (54), Ashish Yashwant Joge (39), Dattatray Baijnath Panchal and Vimal Yashwant Joge. The police stated that the accused abused their official positions and acted in collusion to execute the alleged fraud.

Following verification of the complaint and a preliminary inquiry, the Ganeshpeth police registered an offence under Sections 406, 409, 420 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code. The case has been registered and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact modus operandi and recovery of the defrauded amount.