Rs 740 crore in account! Bihar's 80-year-old pensioner's bank receipt leaves village in disbelief

Patna: An 80-year-old pensioner from Samastipur district in Bihar received the shock of his life after a bank transaction receipt mistakenly showed a balance of more than ₹740 crore, even though his actual account balance was only ₹500.

The unusual incident occurred when Bharat Ishwar, a resident of Ward 13 in Gaavpur village under Nauachak Panchayat, visited a local Customer Service Point (CSP) to withdraw his ₹1,100 old-age pension using the Aadhaar-enabled Payment System (AEPS).

After completing the transaction, the receipt displayed an account balance of ₹7,406,872,895 (over ₹740 crore) instead of his actual balance.

Receipt leaves pensioner and CSP operator stunned

The unexpected figure surprised not only Bharat Ishwar but also the CSP operator who processed the withdrawal.

News of the receipt spread rapidly across the village, with curious residents visiting Ishwar's home to see the receipt for themselves.

For a brief period, many believed the elderly pensioner had somehow become one of Bihar's richest individuals overnight.

Bank confirms actual balance

Concerned about the massive balance shown on the receipt, Bharat Ishwar later visited the Central Bank of India branch at Sarairanjan to verify the information.

After checking the account records, branch officials confirmed that the receipt was incorrect.

According to Branch Manager Rohit Kumar, Ishwar's actual account balance remained ₹500, and no large financial transaction had taken place.

Officials said the correct balance would also be reflected in his updated passbook.

Technical glitch behind ₹740 crore display

The bank attributed the incident to a technical error in its system.

According to the branch manager, the incorrect amount appeared due to a system glitch while generating the transaction receipt.

The matter has been reported to the bank's regional office so that the technical issue can be investigated and resolved.

Bank advises customers not to panic

Following the incident, bank officials urged customers not to panic if they encounter unusually high or incorrect balances on receipts or digital banking platforms.

Instead, customers have been advised to immediately contact their bank branch to verify the actual status of their accounts before assuming the displayed amount is genuine.

Similar incidents reported before

This is not the first time technical glitches have resulted in unusually large balances appearing in customers' accounts or transaction receipts.

Over the years, several such cases have surfaced across India, often involving software errors, temporary system issues or data synchronisation problems. While these incidents frequently attract attention on social media, banks generally clarify that the displayed balances do not represent actual funds available for withdrawal.

In this case, Bharat Ishwar's dream of becoming a billionaire lasted only until the bank confirmed that his account still held just ₹500, while his ₹1,100 pension withdrawal had been processed normally.