Noida: Customers affected by the alleged Rs 35-crore fraud at Punjab National Bank’s Aichhar branch in Greater Noida will receive their money by Saturday, police assured protesters on Monday. The assurance came as hundreds of account holders gathered at the branch, demanding the return of their deposits and attempting to shut down the premises over delays, The Times of India reported.

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Additional DCP (Greater Noida) Santosh Kumar told the gathering that the bank had received 58 complaints from affected customers. Of these, 16 had been resolved and around Rs 7.8 crore refunded. The remaining claims were being processed, and all affected customers would get their money by Saturday, he said.

The assurance followed a tense protest during which some account holders tried to pull down the bank’s shutter and lock the premises. Police intervened to stop them after the protesters said they were dissatisfied with the response from the branch manager.

Customers demand return of deposits

The mahapanchayat was attended by farmers, lawyers and labour organisations. Many account holders said repeated assurances had failed to resolve their concerns and demanded that the full amount owed to them be credited without further delay.

Police said customers whose refunds had already been credited would have to complete the know-your-customer (KYC) process again before withdrawing the money.

However, farmer organisations remained unconvinced and set Thursday as their deadline for the return of all deposits. They warned of a larger protest if the demand was not met.

The alleged fraud has caused concern among customers, particularly farmers who had deposited their savings and land compensation in the branch, often in fixed deposits. The CBI is investigating the alleged fraud, police said.