Of over 50,000 frauds that hit banks in India in the last 11 fiscal years, the ICICI Bank, State Bank of India (SBI) and HDFC Bank reported highest number of cases, according to an RBI data.
Of the total 53,334 cases of frauds reported during 2008-09 and 2018-19 fiscal years, involving a whopping Rs 2.05 lakh crore, a highest of 6,811 were reported by the ICICI Bank involving Rs 5,033.81 crore.
The state-run State Bank of India (SBI) reported 6,793 fraud cases involving Rs 23,734.74 crore followed by HDFC Banks which recorded 2,497 such cases involving Rs 1,200.79 crore, according to the data given by the central bank in response to an RTI query filed by this correspondent.
The Bank of Baroda reported 2,160 fraud cases (involving Rs 12,962.96 crore), Punjab National Bank 2,047 frauds (Rs 28,700.74 crore) and Axis Bank had 1,944 fraud cases involving RS 5,301.69 crore public money.
As many as 1,872 frauds involving Rs 12,358.2 crore was reported by Bank of India, 1,783 by Syndicate Bank (Rs 5830.85 crore) and Central Bank of India's 1, 613 cases involving Rs 9041.98 crore, the data shows.
IDBI Bank Ltd reported 1,264 fraud cases involving Rs 5978.96 crore, Standard Chartered Bank 1,263 cases involving Rs 1221.41 crore, Canara Bank 1,254 cases of Rs 5553.38 crore, Union Bank of India 1,244 frauds of Rs 11,830.74 crore and Kotak Mahindra 1,213 cases involving Rs 430.46 crore.
In that period, Indian Overseas Bank reported 1,115 frauds involving Rs 12,644.7 crore, while Oriental Bank of Commerce 1040 cases of Rs 5,598.23 crore.
The United Bank of India reported 944 cases of frauds involving Rs 3052.34 crore, State Bank of Mysore 395 cases of Rs 742.31 crore, State Bank of Patiala 386 cases (Rs 1178.77 crore), Punjab and Sind Bank 276 cases (Rs 1154.89 crore), UCO Bank 1081 frauds (Rs 7104.77 crore), Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Ltd 261 cases (Rs 493.92 crore) and Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd reported 259 frauds (Rs 862.64 crore).
Some of the foreign banks operating in India also reported fraud cases worth crores during the last 11 fiscal years.
American Express Banking Corporation reported 1,862 fraud cases of Rs 86.21 crore, Citi Bank 1,764 cases of Rs 578.09 crore, Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Ltd 1,173 frauds of Rs 312.1 crore and The Royal Bank of Scotland Plc reported 216 frauds involving Rs 12.69 crore, the RBI data said.
A total of 274 cases of frauds were reported by the State Bank of Travancore involving Rs 694.61 crore, Jammu and Kashmir Bank Ltd reported 142 such cases of Rs 1639.9 crore, The Industrial Finance Corp of India had nine cases of Rs 671.66 crore, The Dhanlakshmi Bank Ltd 89 cases of Rs 410.93 crore and Vijaya Bank reported 639 cases involving Rs 1,748.9 crore, it said.
Yes Bank Ltd reported 102 fraud cases involving Rs 311.96 crore and Paytm Payments Bank Limited reported two cases of Rs 0.02 crore (or Rs 2 lakh), it said.
PTI had on June 3 reported that as many as 6,801 cases of fraud were reported by scheduled commercial banks and select financial institutions involving an amount of Rs 71,542.93 crore in the last fiscal, quoting data from the RBI.
After the story was published, the Congress party held a press conference the next day and demanded that the BJP government issue a "White Paper" on rising bank frauds in the country.
During 2008-09, a total of 4,372 cases were reported involving an amount of Rs 1,860.09 crore. In 2009-10, Rs 1,998.94 crore worth fraud was reported in 4,669 cases.
A total of 4,534 and 4,093 such cases were reported in 2010-11 and 2011-12 involving Rs 3,815.76 crore and Rs 4,501.15 crore, respectively.
In the 2012-13 fiscal, 4,235 fraud cases involving Rs 8,590.86 crore were reported by banks as against 4,306 cases (involving Rs 10,170.81 crore) in 2013-14 and 4,639 cases (involving Rs 19,455.07 crore) in 2014-15.
As many as 4,693 and 5,076 cases of fraud were reported in 2015-16 and 2016-17 involving Rs 18,698.82 crore and Rs 23,933.85 crore, respectively, it said.
Octopus Energy, the UK’s largest electricity supplier, has launched its first home electric vehicle (EV) charger, named Octopus Charge. The charger is designed to integrate with the company’s smart energy system to enable cost-effective and environmentally friendly charging.
Smart charging through Kraken platform
The new Octopus Charge device connects to the energy supplier’s proprietary Kraken platform, which automatically adjusts charging to coincide with times when electricity is cheapest and greenest. This enables EV owners to take advantage of lower rates and reduce their carbon footprint.
The charger also integrates with Intelligent Octopus Go – a smart EV tariff – and the recently launched Drive Pack tariff. The latter allows for unlimited overnight EV charging at home for £30 per month, making it a potentially attractive option for frequent drivers.
Limited early access and launch schedule
Initially, the charger will be available to customers who use Octopus Energy’s EV leasing service. A wider rollout to all Octopus Energy customers is scheduled for August 2025.
To promote early adoption, the first 100 customers to install the charger will receive up to 5,000 miles of free charging. This promotional offer equates to enough electricity to travel the full length of the UK from Land’s End to John o’ Groats and back.
Expanding low-carbon home technology
Although Octopus Charge is the company’s first EV charger, it follows a broader strategy by Octopus Energy to offer home energy hardware. In September 2023, the company introduced the Cosy 6 heat pump at the Energy Tech Summit in London. The product aimed to reduce upfront costs for consumers and encourage the adoption of low-carbon heating solutions.
Building on this, the company launched the Cosy Octopus tariff in June 2024, specifically tailored for heat pump users. Both moves align with Octopus Energy’s goal to help UK households transition to greener, more efficient energy usage.
Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, chief product officer at Octopus Energy, said the company was “delighted” to launch its first charger. “Charging at home is already better than queueing up at the petrol station – and now we’ve made it even simpler,” she said.
Home charging key to EV affordability
Data shows that the cost of charging an EV at home is significantly lower than using public charging infrastructure. Analysis by Cornwall Insight reveals that home charging – especially on off-peak tariffs – can save drivers as much as £1,500 per year compared to public chargepoints.
Despite this, widespread access to home charging remains a challenge. While around 80% of EV drivers currently benefit from home charging, approximately 75% of UK homes do not have a private driveway, limiting access to at-home installation.
Policy changes aim to remove barriers
Until recently, installing a home EV charger often required a planning application, which added complexity and cost. However, a recent policy change by the UK government has eliminated the need for planning consent for home and business EV charger installations.
According to the Department for Transport, the change could save households around £1,100 on average, helping more people afford home charging setups and supporting the broader transition to electric vehicles.
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The leaders discussed the new Defence Cooperation Accord between the UK and Bahrain, aimed at deepening joint military training and naval ties.
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer met Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, prime minister of Bahrain, at Downing Street on Thursday.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the leaders discussed the UK-Bahrain relationship and welcomed the UK becoming a full member of the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA), a trilateral pact with Bahrain and the United States focused on regional security.
They also welcomed the signing of the Strategic Investment and Collaboration Partnership, which aims to build on the two-way investment between the countries. According to the spokesperson, this would "unlock new investment, growth and jobs into the UK, delivering on the Plan for Change."
The leaders discussed the new Defence Cooperation Accord between the UK and Bahrain, aimed at deepening joint military training and naval ties.
The spokesperson said, “Highlighting the strength of the 200-year relationship between both nations, the leaders looked forward to further cooperation, including trade negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council.”
They also spoke about the situation in the Middle East, called for de-escalation, and agreed on the need for closer regional ties to support stability.
“The Prime Minister and Crown Prince looked forward to speaking again soon,” the spokesperson added.
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In a statement, the central bank pointed to a recent rise in energy prices, citing the 'escalation of the conflict in the Middle East' as a factor.
THE BANK OF ENGLAND (BoE) kept its key interest rate at 4.25 per cent on Thursday, citing persistent inflation and rising risks from US tariffs and the conflict between Israel and Iran.
The decision, which was widely expected, came a day after the US Federal Reserve also left its interest rates unchanged, pointing to continued inflation and slowing growth in the United States.
BoE governor Andrew Bailey said the UK economy remained weak but signalled that rate cuts were possible later this year.
“Interest rates remain on a gradual downward path, although we’ve left them on hold today,” Bailey said. He added, “The world is highly unpredictable.”
Official figures released Wednesday showed that UK annual inflation eased to 3.4 per cent in May, less than expected. It remains well above the BoE’s 2 per cent target.
In a statement, the central bank pointed to a recent rise in energy prices, citing the “escalation of the conflict in the Middle East” as a factor.
Despite holding rates steady, analysts expect the BoE to cut at its next meeting in August.
“The Bank of England opens the door for a cut in August as it keeps one eye on energy prices,” said Yael Selfin, chief economist at KPMG UK.
The Bank of Japan also kept its interest rate unchanged this week.
Earlier on Thursday, Norway’s central bank unexpectedly cut rates, and the Swiss National Bank reduced its rate to zero per cent. Both cited uncertainty in the global economic outlook.
Last month, the Bank of England cut its rate by 0.25 percentage points as early signs emerged that US tariffs were beginning to affect growth.
The UK economy shrank more than expected in April, partly due to a tax rise on domestic businesses.
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FILE PHOTO: Passengers board a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight at the airport in Kabul on September 13, 2021. (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images)
TWO of Pakistan's leading business groups and a company backed by the powerful military will bid for the country's ailing national carrier, a divestment the government hopes will kickstart the privatisations of state-owned enterprises.
The sale of Pakistan International Airlines will be the first major privatisation for around two decades, with the sale of loss-making state-owned enterprises a condition of last year's $7 billion (£5.5bn) bailout by the International Monetary Fund.
The government tried unsuccessfully to last year offload a stake in PIA, which is a major burden on its budget, but the sale was aborted because of the poor state of the airline and the conditions attached to any purchase.
Expressions of interest are due by Thursday (19) for an up to 100 per cent stake in the airline, with industry insiders expecting more bidders to emerge. They say the deal has been sweetened with a tax incentive and bolstered by signs of a turnaround in PIA's fortunes.
The Ministry of Privatisation did not respond to a request for comment.
Among those planning bids are the Yunus Brothers Group, owners of the Lucky Cement and energy companies; and a consortium led by Arif Habib Limited that includes Fatima Fertiliser, Lake City, and The City School, sources within the companies said.
Fauji Fertilizer Company, which is part-owned by the military, said it will be making an expression of interest, in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange. Fertiliser production is a lucrative sector in Pakistan.
A group of PIA employees has also come forward to bid.
"The employees will use their provident fund and pension, in addition to finding an investor to place a bid. We're doing this to save jobs and turn around the company," said Hidayatullah Khan, president of the airline's Senior Staff Association.
The airline was restructured last year, offloading approximately 80 per cent of its legacy debt to the government to make it more attractive to investors. But bidders remain concerned about overstaffing and the ability to fire employees.
Last year's sale effort failed when the sole bid of $36 million (£28m) fell far short of a $305m (£240m) floor price.
Interested parties walked away before bidding, partly because the government was not willing to give up 100 per cent of the company, with bidders saying they did not want the government to remain involved.
Since then, PIA has posted its first operating profit in 21 years, driven by cost-cutting reforms, after making cumulative losses of $2.5bn (£2bn).
This success of the current process will depend on whether the government is willing to give up a 100 per cent stake, industry insiders said.
They added that a government decision this month to remove the requirement of paying sales tax upfront on the lease of new aircraft, which had been an impediment, will make the deal more attractive.
PIA resumed flights to Europe in January after the European Union lifted a four-year safety ban. The airline has also approached UK authorities for permission to resume services to London and Manchester.
The restoration of international routes is vital to future growth opportunities and successful bidders are likely to bring in foreign airlines as operators.
(Reuters)
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Choksi, accused in a bank fraud case in India, has been arrested in Belgium and plans to appeal for release, citing medical grounds. (Photo: Getty Images)
FUGITIVE jeweller Mehul Choksi accused India of orchestrating his kidnapping to extradite him on fraud allegations, with his lawyers telling London's High Court on Monday (16) that only India had the motivation and resources to do so.
Choksi – who was arrested in Belgium in April – is wanted in India over his alleged involvement in one of India's biggest bank frauds at Punjab National Bank, which in 2018 announced it had discovered alleged fraud worth $1.8 billion (£1.29bn).
Choksi is separately suing the Indian government in London, arguing that the state was responsible for his kidnapping in Antigua in 2021, when he says he was abducted and taken to Dominica in an attempt to extradite him to India.
India's lawyer Harish Salve said in court filings that "there is no evidence of India having anything to do with the alleged events".
Choksi alleges he was beaten in a failed attempt to extort a false confession and implicate India's political opposition, which he says points to state involvement in the incident.
Choksi's lawyer Edward Fitzgerald told the court: "The evidence points inevitably to India being behind this – they had the motivation, they had the resources."
Monday's hearing, the first since Choksi filed his case last year, was held to decide when India's application to throw out Choksi's lawsuit on state immunity should be held.