Suspected fraud attempt at Lacombe RBC leads to arrest.
On Friday (July 4), members of the Lacombe Police Service responded to a report of suspected fraud in progress at the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) in Lacombe.
Bank staff had identified suspicious activity involving two men attempting to access funds from a recently opened account that had previously been flagged by RBC security.
Officers arrived and arrested both individuals without incident.
The primary suspect was found in possession of fraudulent identification, including a counterfeit Canadian permanent resident card and an Ontario driver’s license.
Police confirmed the suspect used the forged documents to open the account and had overdrawn $1,800. A credit card linked to the account had a $10,000 limit, though no charges had been made.
RBC has since closed the account and suspended all related banking privileges.
Arshdeep Behniwal, 20, of Edmonton, has been charged with:
- Fraud over $5,000
- Possession of a forged document
Behniwal was held in police custody and later released on an undertaking with conditions to appear in Red Deer provincial court on August 29.
The second individual was released without charges.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has issued formal requests for both individuals to report to its office as part of the ongoing investigation.
Lacombe police continue to work with RBC and federal authorities to assess the full extent of the fraud and verify the authenticity of the documents involved.
The Lacombe Police Service thanked RBC staff for their vigilance, which helped prevent a potential financial loss and aided in the suspect’s apprehension.
Anyone with information related to this incident or other criminal activity in the area is asked to contact the Lacombe Police Service at 403-782-3279, or their local police. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a tip online at www.tipsubmit.com.
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