LAHORE – A shocking case of financial fraud surfaced in Tandlianwala, where the branch manager of Habib Bank Limited (HBL) allegedly embezzled Rs1.2 Crore from woman’s account.
The victim, in a video statement, revealed that she maintained her account at HBL for over six years, and the money deposited by her late father for her siblings’ support was missing. She accused branch manager, identified as Abubakar, of withdrawing the funds without her consent, forging cheque records, and bypassing mandatory call-back confirmations (CBCs).
For couple of months, the manager allegedly misled her by showing false account balances. Later, he admitted via text messages, including screenshots of which the woman has shared, that he transferred her money to another account. He is now pleading for forgiveness, offering PKR 10 million as a settlement, while the victim claims she is also receiving threats.
The woman further mentioned that an internal HBL inquiry confirmed that the signatures on cheques did not match hers and that no CBC calls were made for transactions worth tens of millions, even though such calls are required for withdrawals as low as Rs100,000.
Despite filing complaints with the FIA, the Federal Ombudsman, and the local police station, she alleges no action has been taken. The victim appealed to higher authorities, including Maryam Nawaz, to intervene and provide justice.
HBL spokesperson is yet to comment on the matter as the incident puts country’s largest bank under bad light.
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