BAREILLY: A pension fraud worth over Rs 44 lakh surfaced in Meerut’s Daurala area, where a woman who died in 2018 was allegedly shown “alive” in official records by her son to illegally withdraw pension funds over several years.As per a complaint to the Sardhana sub-divisional magistrate, in a letter dated Oct 8, 2025, State Bank of India (Sakauti Tanda branch) manager Neeraj Kumar stated that a pension account was maintained in the name of Shanti Devi, wife of Surjan Singh, a freedom fighter. She was a beneficiary of the freedom fighter and defence pension schemes. Locals said that Shanti Devi died on Dec 9, 2018.Police said her son, Prem Singh, along with unidentified accomplices, allegedly prepared forged documents and continued submitting fake life certificates to the bank, falsely indicating that she was alive. On the basis of these documents, the accused allegedly continued operating the account and withdrew funds through ATM and UPI transactions.Bank officials stated that a total of Rs 44,38,096 was withdrawn from the account over seven years. Following this, the bank lodged a complaint at Daurala police station on Nov 27, 2025. However, no immediate action was taken, prompting the complainant to approach the court.Acting on court directions, police on Wednesday registered an FIR against Prem Singh and his unidentified associates under sections related to cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy.Daurala inspector Suman Kumar Singh said further investigation is underway. “We are verifying the documents to determine further legal action,” he said.
