Mumbai, July 14 : A case of alleged fraud involving nearly Rs 29.83 lakh withdrawn from the bank account of a deceased account holder has come to light at an Axis Bank branch on Tardeo Road in Mumbai, prompting a police investigation.

According to Mumbai Police, the alleged fraud took place in the account of Vimla Patil, a deceased customer. Preliminary investigation has revealed that a Customer Request Form (CRF) bearing forged signatures in the name of the deceased was allegedly submitted at the bank, following which funds were transferred from the account through NEFT, UPI and IMPS transactions to different bank accounts.

Police said the total amount allegedly siphoned off from the account was Rs 29,83,200.

Following the detection of the alleged fraud, officials of Axis Bank approached the police, based on which the Tardeo Police Station registered a case against Rahul Panjwani, Abhishek Verma and Ram Pal under charges of cheating and other relevant provisions of law.

A Mumbai Police official said, â??A case has been registered and the investigation is underway. We are examining the role of the accused and all aspects of the alleged fraudulent transactions.â??

Investigators are also probing how the forged Customer Request Form was accepted and processed and whether the accused acted alone or with the assistance of others.

Police are further examining whether the three accused may have used a similar modus operandi to fraudulently withdraw money from the accounts of other deceased account holders.

Officials said the investigation will also focus on tracing the flow of funds transferred through NEFT, UPI and IMPS and identifying the beneficiaries of the transactions.

The case has raised concerns over the alleged misuse of banking documents and fraudulent access to accounts belonging to deceased customers. Police are collecting documentary and technical evidence as part of the ongoing investigation.

Further investigation into the case is underway, and officials said appropriate legal action will be taken based on the findings of the probe.

/IANS