New developments have emerged regarding the fraud associated with the Punjab government’s Asaan Karobar scheme, involving a bank. Investigators have uncovered illegal transfers into private accounts, revealing that the financial losses linked to the scheme now amount to billions of rupees.
Officials said recent findings indicate that several transactions exceeded the approved loan limits under the Asaan Karobar scheme. In many cases, the same accounts received excess funds multiple times. Investigators believe this pattern points to organised and systematic misuse of the banking system.
Officials from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency say more than 2,000 individuals received transactions worth hundreds of thousands of rupees through accounts linked to the scheme. The money was transferred illegally from the bank, significantly inflating the overall financial impact of the fraud.
Investigators say the accounts used in the scam belonged to loan applicants. Fraudsters allegedly exploited a major loophole in the bank’s software to execute the transfers. Sources also indicate that hacking activity may have occurred in Lahore to facilitate the operation.
Read: CM Punjab Asaan Karobar Loan Scheme , How to Apply
So far, law enforcement agencies have arrested around 100 people in connection with the case. The Punjab Government, which oversees the scheme, has ordered the immediate arrest of all remaining suspects. Police continue to detain the accused and hand them over to investigators for further questioning.
The case was registered following a complaint filed by the bank’s field collection officer. Initially, the first information reports named 24 men and women. Officials say both suspects and beneficiaries belong to multiple districts across Punjab.
Sources involved in the investigation revealed that many account holders linked to the scheme were unaware of the fraud. In several cases, criminals reportedly obtained ATM cards from vulnerable individuals and withdrew additional funds. Investigators are now working to distinguish innocent account holders from those who knowingly benefited from the illegal transfers.
Authorities traced the suspicious Asaan Karobar transactions to the period between December 21 and December 31, 2025. Bank officials detected the issue after about ten days and promptly stopped further transfers. All accounts used for Asaan Karobar payments have since been frozen.
Investigations into the Asaan Karobar scheme continue, and officials expect more disclosures as the probe progresses.
