Bank of India officer arrested for ₹16 crore fraud after 13-hour chase
Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested suspended Bank of India (BOI) officer Hitesh Singla, accused of misappropriating ₹16.10 crore from 127 customer accounts. He was caught in Ahmedabad after a 13-hour chase that spanned across states.
Singla, 32, had been missing since the fraud came to light. He was tracked down on the Ujjain–Veraval Mahamana Express, where officials said he kept shifting between coaches and seats to avoid detection. ED officers intercepted him when the train reached Ahmedabad early on Wednesday. He was later produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mumbai, which remanded him to ED custody till Tuesday.
According to investigators, the fraud took place between May 2023 and July 2025. Singla allegedly closed fixed deposits, provident funds, senior citizen savings, current accounts, and dormant savings accounts without authorisation. The money was diverted in small instalments into his personal accounts in the State Bank of India to avoid suspicion.
Officials said he mainly targeted accounts of senior citizens, minors, deceased customers, and long-inactive account holders to keep the fraud hidden. “Through this method, Singla defrauded the Bank of India and its customers of ₹16.10 crore, causing serious financial and reputational damage,” an ED officer said.
ED teams received information on Tuesday that Singla was travelling on a sleeper-class ticket on the Mahamana Express. One team boarded the train at Godhra, while another flew from Mumbai to Ahmedabad to intercept him. Investigators found that Singla had upgraded to an AC coach mid-journey and kept changing seats. He was finally identified and arrested when the train reached Ahmedabad station.
The investigation began after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case on August 6, following a complaint from Om Prakash, deputy zonal manager of BOI. The FIR named Singla and possible accomplices under the Indian Penal Code, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Officials suspect that part of the siphoned funds may have been invested in the stock market. The ED is now tracing the money trail and has searched premises linked to an associate of the accused.
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Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
