SAHIWAL, Sept 10: A Rs3.365 million fraud has been reported in the National Bank of Pakistan’s Chak 116/9-L branch. The amount is reportedly withdrawn against 14 agricultural passbooks issued in the name of different people.

The bank’s regional head transferred branch manager Sardar Zameer Husain on March 31, and Irshad Khan replaced him. When the new manager took charge, he found that 14 passbooks had been issued with the signatures of only one patwari. On suspicion, when he got the signatures of the tehsildar verified, the same were found bogus.

NBP regional chief Rao Abdul Rauf appointed a two-man inquiry committee which confirmed the fraud of Rs3.365 million.

Later the bank handed over the case to the FIA.

CANAL BREACH: About a 50-feet wide breach occurred in 9-L distributary near Chak 87/9-L early Sunday morning.

Reports said a farmer in a bid to irrigate his crops made a small cut in the canal which soon developed into a 50-feet wide breach at RD 8-9 of the right bank, damaging standing crops of sugarcane, paddy, cotton etc.