New Delhi, January 12. A special CBI court in Delhi has convicted two former officials of Punjab National Bank (PNB) and a panel advocate in connection with a ₹4 crore bank fraud case linked to the bank’s Jor Bagh branch. The court has announced the sentencing for their involvement in the case.
The convicted bank officials are Kulwinder Kaur Johar (former Chief Manager and branch head) and Ranjiv Suneja (former Senior Manager). Both have been sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹75,000 each. The panel advocate, Narendra Singh Parihar, received a sentence of two and a half years and a fine of ₹50,000.
The case was registered by the CBI on July 11, 2013. It was alleged that the accused, including Sanjeev Dixit (owner of M/s Shankar Metals), Sanjay Sharma (owner of M/s Super Machines), Indira Rani, and others, conspired to fraudulently obtain cash credit facilities from PNB’s Jor Bagh branch using forged and fake property documents and KYC details. The loan amount was misappropriated for purposes other than those for which it was approved, and bank funds were diverted through fictitious accounts.
The investigation revealed that Sanjeev Dixit colluded with bank officials Kulwinder Kaur Johar, Ranjiv Suneja, and panel advocate NS Parihar to secure credit limits using counterfeit documents, subsequently withdrawing money from fake firm accounts. After the investigation concluded, the CBI filed a chargesheet against Sanjeev Dixit (also known as Sanjay Sharma), NS Parihar, Kulwinder Kaur Johar, Ranjiv Suneja, Rahul Sharma, and Rajiv Sharma.
During the trial, the court found Kulwinder Kaur Johar, Ranjiv Suneja, and Narendra Singh Parihar guilty and imposed sentences. However, Rahul Sharma and Rajiv Sharma were acquitted. Sanjeev Dixit remains a fugitive and is evading trial.
This case highlights issues of fraud and the misuse of forged documents in the banking sector. The CBI has stated that it will continue to take strict action against such cases.