In recent days, the incident of “Employee Ran Away with 2.2 Million Deposits, Bank Refuses Compensation” continues to simmer, sparking discussions across the internet. Meng Zhu, an employee at a bank in Hulun Buir, Inner Mongolia, took advantage of her position and trust of 11 depositors within the business premises and working hours, deceiving them to transfer a total of over 2.2 million yuan of deposits privately and squandered it all. Although the involved employee has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for fraud, she has no assets available for compensation, making it difficult for depositors to seek justice.
According to reports from various media outlets including China News Weekly, a few years ago, an employee at a postal savings bank in Hulun Buir, Inner Mongolia, embezzled over 2.2 million yuan in deposits from 11 depositors and spent it without the ability to repay. As a result, depositors filed a lawsuit against the bank demanding the repayment of principal and interest.
In July 2021, Ms. Zhu from Inner Mongolia’s Hulun Buir Zhalainuo City Branch of the Postal Savings Bank deposited 750,000 yuan, and the bank employee Meng deceived her by transferring her deposit without her knowledge.
Statistics show that Meng Zhu, during her employment and pre-employment waiting period, deceived 11 victims of over 2.2 million yuan by fabricating financial products and handling fixed-term deposit transactions for depositors, using the money for private lending, debt repayment, and interest payments.
Depositors believe that bank personnel, during working hours, guided depositors to deposit money at the bank counter, only for the money to vanish later, holding the bank responsible.
Bank employees, on the other hand, claim that the implicated employee has left the position, and this was an individual fraudulent act by Meng Zhu, having no relation to the bank.
In October 2025, Ms. Zhu sued the bank for repayment of the principal and interest, which was rejected by the court of first instance, determining Meng Zhu’s actions as personal crimes rather than job-related activities.
The court ruling indicated that in the first instance, Ms. Zhu handled large fund transfers at the bank counter, transferring 350,000 yuan and 400,000 yuan to individuals named Li and Hou on July 14 and 31, 2021, respectively.
Additionally, the court stated that during Ms. Zhu’s transfer transactions, Meng Zhu had already left her position at the Postal Savings Bank.
Displeased with the ruling, depositors appealed the decision, and the second instance of the case was heard on January 5, 2026, but a verdict is still pending.
Jiupai News reported that Tan Mintao, a lawyer from Zhongwen (Xi’an) Law Firm in Beijing, analyzed the event, stating that whether the bank needs to bear compensation responsibility depends on whether there was any fault on their part. If the actions of bank employees are deemed personal crimes, the bank generally does not need to bear the employer’s substitute liability.
“However, as a financial institution, the bank has a high obligation to ensure the safety of customer funds. If depositors can prove that there were serious flaws in the bank’s internal management (such as ineffective monitoring of employee misconduct, lack of rigorous risk education for employees), leading to employees being able to commit fraud for an extended period, then the bank is likely to be at fault and need to shoulder the corresponding compensation responsibility.”