₹759 crore flashed in an 82-year-old's account: Why pensioners shouldn't ignore such glitches

An 82-year-old resident of Bihar's Muzaffarpur was stunned when his pension account briefly showed a balance of ₹759 crore before the amount disappeared within minutes. The incident occurred when the pensioner — identified as Kameshwar Mishra, an elderly poet — with his disabled son, a beneficiary of a disability pension scheme, logged in to his account to check his monthly credit.

The account showed a balance of ₹7,596,951,951, or nearly ₹759 crore. His son's account also displayed a similarly enormous sum, taking the combined balance in the two accounts to over ₹1,500 crore, according to the family. 

Family Reaction

Mishra’s son told reporters the family was “shocked” and initially believed an error in their favour had occurred. “We couldn’t believe our eyes when the account showed such an enormous sum; we don’t understand where this huge amount came from,” he said. The balance reverted to the correct amount minutes later, leaving the family confused and anxious.

Bank and Pension Office Probe

“I’ve told officials about it so they can check and fix the mistake”, Mishra said. Officials from the bank and the state pension office immediately launched an inquiry into the anomalous entry. The pension disbursement office has initiated an investigation to determine whether the figure was a system error or a technical glitch. 

Authorities Rule Out Fraud So Far

Police and cyber cell officials have been notified, but, as of now, there is no evidence of fraudulent withdrawal or unauthorised transfer, officials said. No funds were credited; this appears to be an internal display error, said bank officials and local authorities. Investigators are examining server logs and third-party software interfaces used in pension accounting.

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Pattern of similar banking errors

This was not an isolated case. Similar incidents have been reported in Vaishali, Samastipur, Nawada, and Gaya districts, with pensioners and even an e-rickshaw driver seeing balances of ₹740–₹759 crore in their accounts. In Samastipur, a bank branch manager confirmed a customer’s actual balance was only ₹500 despite a receipt showing over ₹740 crore, attributing it to a technical error.

Next Steps

Authorities have advised pensioners to report any irregularities immediately and assured the public that a full technical audit will be completed. The probe’s findings will determine if corrective action, system upgrades, or staff retraining are required, officials added.