Bank Manager, Cashier Booked for ₹16.39 Lakh Fraud in Gandhinagar

Gandhinagar: Dabhoda police have booked the branch operations manager of Jana Small Finance Bank’s Sonarda branch in Gandhinagar and a cashier for allegedly defrauding the bank of ₹16.39 lakh.

According to the complaint, Vijay Raman Barot, the branch operations manager, repeatedly failed to transfer funds to other bank accounts despite instructions from senior officials. This prompted an internal audit, which reportedly detected a shortfall of ₹23.39 lakh.

When questioned by a senior bank official during the audit, Barot allegedly admitted to using the money for personal purposes. He later returned ₹7 lakh but subsequently went untraceable, following which the bank lodged a police complaint.

According to the FIR, the bank follows a two-person authorisation system for accessing its cash vault. Barot and cashier Nikunj Manu Patel each hold one of the two keys required to access it.

The complaint stated that on March 5, 2026, Kumodrajan, a manager at Cash Management Services (CMS), instructed Barot to transfer ₹8 lakh to Union Bank of India. Barot allegedly claimed that the bank’s server was down and failed to make the transfer. He did not carry out the transaction even when instructed to transfer the amount to the State Bank of India instead.

The following day, Kumodrajan allegedly instructed Barot to transfer ₹10 lakh to the bank’s Naroda branch, but the transaction was again not carried out.

Police said both accused were yet to be arrested. DeshGujarat